This time I decided to call Officer Friendly

So I was northbound on Vandeventer this morning, headed to the next job that I needed to take care of. Ever since the Grand bridge closed, traffic is heavy on Vandeventer. But we were all moving along. I was in the right of the two “through” lanes. In my rearview mirror I see this sparkly champagne-white Cadillac coming up behind me. She honks. I wave, with all five fingers. Ahead, traffic is backed up a couple of blocks at the light with Forest Park Avenue.

And then. She starts passing me on the right. I move over into the part of the lane where the left tire tracks of a car would be. She’s driving a big car, and I wonder if she’s going to squeeze me between the two lanes. “What are you doing?” I yell. “What are YOU doing?” she yells back. “I’m going somewhere, just like you,” I reply. I can hear her yelling, but I can’t make out what she’s saying, and then I notice that she’s about to plow into the stopped car in front of her.

I stop behind her and pull out my phone to call my voice mail with her auto model and make and Missouri license plate info so that I can report an unsafe motorist to the Missouri Bicycle Federation. But standing there with my phone in my hand, I think, geez, this was dangerous. I’m calling the police.

I’m glad I did. The dispatcher said I could meet the officer at the location where I was headed, which was only a few blocks away. It took him a while to come, but I was able to work while I waited, and the officer could not have been more gracious. He had looked up the registration information on the vehicle before he met with me. My description of the car and driver matched his records. Her home was in his district. He asked what I wanted to do. I said I just wanted her to be aware of Missouri law regarding bicyclists. We talked about this a bit. The officer not only knew the laws pertaining to bicyclists, but was understanding and empathetic.

He said he would pay her a visit.

I hope he did.