PORTLAND! KILL THIS BICYCLIST!

I’ve been thinking of this blog for a long long time.

In a way thinking of this has almost stopped me from posting anything on my bus driver blog. That log jam has broken in the last few days and now I think I can say what I have been wanting to say for long time.

About a month or so ago I experienced a bicycled so out of control and dangerous it undid every atom of good feeling I have towards bicyclist.

I thought I would write a blow by blow exposure of what this..

First off I have to stop here and breath deep to let the rage subside....

See even after months just thinking of that day makes my heart race and my face flush with rage.

In all the years I been driving with TriMet and on my own I have never seen anyone so freaking dangerous who was not killed or injured.

Hold on Deep Breathing

In.. out... In.. Out!

Ok I will go on.

I thought about unleashing my full furry an all bicyclist in Portland but that would not be right. Most of them are good people just trying to get from A to B like the people on my bus. I understand that.

You see I’m the bus driver who always try’s to leave you six foot of space between us even on pinched up streets .

I don’t get mad, or honk my horn.

I followed someone on a bike form 20th and Hawthorn all the way for 40th one Rush hour without a bad word. It’s just the way it is. I would rather have them in front of me where I can keep an eye on them.

I’m the bus driver who always waves you out front so I can see you rather then having your bike and life out of sight along the side of my bus.

I alway try to go out of my way to protect bikes above and beyond what is required by law and Trimet.

Those days have ended.

Deep breath... in... out....

You see I want to bring them back but I don’t think I can until I say my piece about this...This...

In... Out... In... OUT...

Let me make this clear because I know how people love to band together when they feel their tribe, race, ideology, political candidate or love of Star Wars is threatened.

This is not a “he said, she said” misunderstanding.

this is not the straw that broke the camels back

this is not an isolated incident

This is not just a bus driver venting..

This was a dangerous encounter caused by a careless bicyclist and worse yet he had no comprehension, nor did he care to comprehend what he was doing to others.

If you rush to his defense then you are destroying everything you see about Bikes in the future of Portland. It would be like Germans Defending Hitler, or Russians Defending Stalin, Or film makers defending David Lynch’s nonDune films.

Don’t defend this...Deep Breath... Person by knee jerk reaction because you will be absolutely wrong.

This encounter was so bad and lasted for blocks as he interacted with other vehicles, It was two hour before I stopped shaking. The most dangerous light threatening situation of my life only made me shake for about an hour.

I went home that night, drew a line down a sheet of paper and on it wrote reason for and against being a bus driver.

It was so bad I think if I had killed him it could not have been worse. Not killing him makes every bicyclist a potential bad guy, I keep thinking when will this guy appear again. See he is multiplied ten fold by me not killing him.

Breath in... Breath out... Breath in... Breath out...

You may think I’m writing that as a joke but I’m really trying to control the burning hate in my heart here.

I have thought about it for a while.. deep breathing all the time. Thought about putting my video camera on my bus and editing down a month of driving as proof of what I go through... But to what end? Do I want to be the anti-bicyclist guy?

No I don’t..

I want to be the Anti-One Bicyclist guy.

But I want to move beyond the rage that burns in my heart and I know if I start writing down how I feel it will explode in a very long, very truthful counter productive tirade I fear that until I do something I can’t let it go.

In... Out... In... Out...

Here is what I’m going to do.

I’m going to make one simple official announcement.. I will unleash everything I feel and I will move on and try to heal.

So what can I say, how can I condense down every thing into a simple, easy to say phrase that possible express the depth of my anger and rage..

This is no easy task.

I understand that to do so may make me sort of a villain. For all I know it could effect my job. It may be the last bus blog I write. Yet I must.

Now some of you out there may say, “you know behind the range he is really trying to protect this bicyclist form being hurt,” No you are wrong.

In... Out... In... Out...

You see one of the most painful things about this is, I am not a man of rage. I don’t hold anger in, I forgive and move on. So holding this in has effected me deeply and now it’s time it effects the one person who it should have effected to start with.

In.. Out... In... Out...

So for better or for worse, here I go..

Once I write this there is no turning back and I will not talk about it again to anyone.

This will end it for me.

Here is the ... (Nice words only) the Bicyclist in question, here is my final proclamation and resolution for this entire issue. You see if talking and dialog solved extreme behavior our jails would be empty. The only thing that works is call for direct action.

Attention All Motor Vehicle Operators In Portland: GO AHEAD AND KILL THIS BICYCLIST!

Attention Criminals: If you are a murderer, drug dealer, violent criminal or your your life is empty and you are at a dead end, don’t think of suicide when you can do one last act that will have a lasting positive effect on our city. KILL THIS BICYCLIST. Don’t throw your life away for no reason. Fill your empty heart up with a righteous cause and use your violent and homicidal tendencies for the good of mankind, Portland and the World. Then you can kill your self with a smile on your face having done one last good act.

Attention Bicyclist In Portland: If you want to continue to be part of a positive Portland future, You need to make sure this man never rides again, slash his tires, spit on him, do anything you can to stop him. he destroys everything you seek to build. Any ill anyone can bring this fool, I endorse. Every moment he continues on is a blight on all bicyclist, he is destroying what you are working so hard to build.

Attention Family of This Fiend: when he is killed please do not tell me what a nice guy he was, how he had a future ahead of him, he is bellow contempt and befouls any positive memory you have of him, back before he was putting his life in the hands of random drivers, through his carelessness. You did not stop his carelessness and the result of that is on your hands.

Attention Friends: If you are friends with this person you must sit him down and talk to him, tell him he is doing wrong, tell him that you care and love him and don’t want to see him under a bus, truck, Semi, Car. Keep him off the road. Take his bike and throw it off of the St. Johns Bridge.. only video tape it for you tube so all of Portland can rejoice.

Attention Fool: When you interacted with my bus you put your life in my hands. At that time I took extreme measures to avoid crushing you despite your best effort to get under my tires. However as a holder of your life I wish to exercise that option now that I’m not behind the wheel. Thank you for putting your faith and trust in my skill, perception and reaction time however I think I’m going to now exercise your life in my hands options and have you killed. Thank you for putting your trust in my training and my willingness to throw people around my bus by violently breaking. However as a holder of your life I think now after long hours of contemplation I shall exercise the death option.

In closing I would like to say that though I can only keep my fingers crossed and hope that someone out there takes me up on my plea, I will be lucky and blessed if someone does. This I can assure you, People often get what’s coming to them, when you get what’s coming to you as a result of your carelessness I will rejoice as should every bicyclist you shame and motor vehicle operator you ever encountered.

There... Wow I feel better now. Special Thanks to the follow SG: for the first pic KL: for the second Pic Your Quick fingers and follow up Emails put a face to the enemy of Portland.

Update on Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 12:39PM

Just so you know, I'm not against bikes. Love em. Own one. I don't think anyone is going to kill this fool any more then he is going to kill himself. I just hope someone out there takes him to task. Love ya all Portland.

This rage is at one person and everyones mission should be to stop him not matter what you ride, drive, hop or sail.

Like I said bicyclist are like everyone people getting from A to B.

No problem with that.