There is a group here in Seattle called GhostCycle that is placing completely white bicycles at locations where cyclists were struck by automobiles. It's a pretty powerful reminder that despite Seattle's relatively bike-friendly atmosphere it can be pretty dangerous out there.
Case in point: this morning I'm riding to work, and some jerk in a Subaru starts honking his horn while I'm riding down 5th Avenue under the monorail. I ride this road every day, and it can be pretty sketchy--there are giant concrete pillars to support the monorail on the left hand side, cars parked on the right hand side, and numerous parking lots and other driveways where cars are likely to come out of or turn into. In order to protect my neck I ride right in the middle of the travel lane, so I can see and be seen. This is perfectly legal, and in any case, the lights are timed so it isn't possible for a car to go faster than a bike. So the guy in the Subaru races past me, dangerously close, flipping me off. I raced up next to his car and we had a little argument, but I was not able to persuade him that he was behaving unreasonably.
Then, to top it all off, after I turned onto Union, a woman in an SUV crossed two lanes of traffic, completely cutting me off, and jammed on her brakes. I more or less saw it coming and was able to jam on my brakes, but I still got up close and personal with her spare tire. She heard the noise and her passenger stuck her head out and asked if I was OK. I said I was, but that it would sure be nice if she would check her mirrors then next time she had to change lanes.
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