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NORWALK, Conn. Norwalk.DailyVoice.com accepts signed, original letters to the editor. Letters may be emailed to letters@dailyvoice.com.
To the Editor,
On Sunday, my 9-year-old son and I decided to ride our bike up Old Saugatuck Road instead of Winfield Street to avoid traffic. As we approached the golf course a car came behind us, and laid on the horn for a long time.
I looked over at my son and made sure he was OK and wasn't getting nervous since this behavior can make an adult react to the noise by swerving to the right or worse to the left into traffic, never mind a little boy. I knew the road was clear of traffic, so I waved with my left hand to go around us. As the car came next to us two females were screaming out of the car "get off the road, move to the right, single file, bikes don't have the right away" ... but since they were so busy giving me a lesson their car started to funnel us out of the road not intentionally, I don't think! I exchanged couple words with them, like, "I also paid taxes," and "Look where you're going."
They got a bit nasty, but not bad words at all. I got a bit protective when the car got closer as I did not have any chance to survive a 3,000-pound car versus 21-pound bicycle. My first instinct was to squirt water at their car ... (wrong of me ... I should just have ignored them). The lady stopped in front of us and got out of the car, very aggressively. Every time I was trying to be polite by calling her "Ma'am" she would get all frustrated.
The mom was on the left and the daughter was on the right, both just saying stuff that my ears get shut-off ... "Call the cops I said." I think they did, but I think they faked the call, because the police never came ... the mother being unreasonable for talking, I looked over at her daughter and said, "Do you realize that I was riding with a young boy?" At this point both hadn't or had realized that their behavior of driving was not acceptable. Their rush was not a rush, since they had time to argue.
When they realized that I am not U.S.-born, they commented:
Mother: "You are not from around here, are you?"
Daughter: "No mom, he clearly doesn't know the laws. I just took my driver-ed test, Mister, and cyclists don't have any right to be on the road."
Mother: (Kicks my front wheel) "Go back to the country you came from, clearly you are not from around here," as she runs to her car and drives off.
As she drives off I took a picture of the license plate from CT, a little tan color Toyota Prius.
As a U.S. citizen for 16 years now, I think following up with the police was the best thing I can do or any one should do.
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