"Riding around on my bicycle like a pony. Waving hi, hi, hi" -The Pixies.
Do any Toronto readers have great bike theft stories? Do you know where your bike goes when it gets stolen? Do you know anyone who steals bikes and would talk under strict conditions of anonymity? Any great tips on how to keep your two-wheeler safe from theft? Any stories on insurance scams?
I am collecting bike theft stories with kato for a little project. Leave me a comment if you do and I will email you back.
Last night there was screaming outside my window. I looked outside and there was a guy surrounded by five women in their 20's in teetery high heels and tube-tops, swearing at him and grabbing his bike while one girl squealed over and over: "You punched me! I am a girl! You don't hit girls."
They grabbed his bike and would not let go. We called the police and he ran.
From what I gather, the cyclist was riding ahead of them on his bike in the centre of the narrow street. They yelled at him to get out of the way and tried to swerve around him. When he hammered the side of their car with his fist, the driver grabbed his bike handle. I think he punched her through the open window.
It is not cool to punch people. It is also not cool to try to drive cyclists off the road and to treat them as less than vehicles. Take a moment to appreciate that you from Scarborough in your parents' hand-me-down Honda Civic, are surrounded by steel and glass with seatbelts and airbags are considerably better-protected than us city commuters in our rickety bikes and bell helmets. I get so angry when drivers edge you off the road or periliously close to streetcar tracks. I see cyclists smack cars all the time in frustration when they get cut off.
These girls - five against the one jerk- were strutting around screaming bloody murder outside my window and did not even say thank you when I brought them ice. They kept talking about how heroic they had been. All my suburban prejudices came out at that moment and I kind of hated them. But it is definitely not cool to punch people. Thank you.
