There is a school bus driver here with a history of somewhat antagonistic behavior toward people on bikes (at least, toward my kid and me).
We encounter her everyday on our ride to school, and she never fails to honk after we pass each other. Why, IDK.
Today, she added "sticking her tongue out at us" to her routine, and it was all I could do to not fall off my bike laughing.
You win this round, angry bus driver lady.
This morning we were greeted with a tongue, but no horn. Not sure if that's because of our peace offering or the new sign on the front of my bike that says, "Honk if you love bicycles!"
@DrTCombs Maybe she figures that if more people are riding bikes to school, fewer are riding buses… so there will be less need for bus drivers… or something? [struggling to think of reasons for the antagonism]
Personally, I think that mode shift from buses to cars is much likelier than buses to bikes, but people have #CarBrain so probably don’t think of it in the same way.
@DrTCombs Is this only when you are "in the way of the bus" from her perspective or just anytime you pass by her?
Really awful behavior either way but I'm curious.
You'd think school bus drivers would be held to a higher standard but I am usually very uncomfortable around them, much more than regular transit bus drivers. I had one come close to hitting me while I was in a crosswalk literally yesterday because they were trying to catch a yellow light.
@wesley
She always honks after we have passed each other, and safely in each others' rear view mirror.
She no doubt knows I'm the one who filed the report and I suspect she's just expressing her dislike. IDK. It's weird.
@DrTCombs Wait, how did the cupcakes go over? Did she thank you? Did she know you were the same person on the bike?
@atthenius @Andres4NY i promise this approach does not come easily for me
@Andres4NY we left the cupcakes with the school receptionist, who promised to deliver them.
may be she honks at everyone on a bike, but we're pretty obvious in our orange helmets and bright bikes festooned with blinkies.
According to Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, your antagonist most likely has a crush on you and in another timeline you're together
@pleaseclap @Andres4NY if she were a middle school boy I'd buy it.
I mean, that's a pretty accurate description of butch fashion
@DrTCombs I wish there was an encouraging honk button because I always want to cheer on people cycling when I drive, but I know honking will not be interpreted the right way.
Hehehehe! Clever!!
We took a box of cupcakes to our favorite horn-honking-raspberry-blowing bus driver today, along with a card thanking her for brightening our mood with her daily greetings.
Is she actually trying to be funny when she sticks her tongue out at us? Will the cupcakes help her see that I'm just an ordinary mom trying to get her kid to school safely? Will my refusal to recognize her antics as a sign of aggression just make her angrier?
I honestly don't know.