Road rage seems to be

"part of life" now.

I encountered some yesterday - in a lopsided sort of way. At least, I suppose it was "road rage".

Now let it be said here, I usually ride on the footpath. It is legal to ride on footpaths here and, providing you watch out for vehicles coming out of driveways, it is as safe as anything else. Naturally one also watches out for pedestrians. You do not try to run down the elderly and slow moving, the disabled, the adults with young or anyone else using the footpaths as they should be used.

No, I was on the road. I was on the road because the footpath was not passable. There was "work" going on...at least there were three men peering into a hole, piles of dirt, a yellow safety fence, orange witch hats and a few tools. 

I had detoured onto the road but had to go some distance past the work lorry, a van and several cars. Before I reached the point where I could even consider returning to the footpath a car pulled in ahead of me - just where I meant to return to said footpath. 

A head came out and yelled at me. I was told to get off the road. I had no business to be there. I wasn't registered. There was a good deal more along the same lines. The head produced a mobile phone. He was going to call the police.

There was more in that vein. I couldn't safely move back into the traffic flow because I was concerned  he might try to run me down if I tried to pass him. I couldn't go back either.  He appeared to take a photograph. There was not much I could do about that either. Then he said for the second time he was calling the police.

"Okay, go ahead. I'll wait for them," I said as calmly as I could. I was not breaking any law and I knew the police were not going to do any sort of search for me. If they happened to come across us he was going to be the one in trouble, quite serious trouble. 

He drove off. He was using one hand. His other hand was holding his phone as he spoke. 

"You handled that okay," a voice behind me said. It was one of the workmen. He had come up behind me. They must have heard the shouting and one of them had come to check. It was nice of them.

"Thanks. It was a bit..." I shrugged and pedalled back on to the footpath. 

Much further down the long straight road I could see the car which had stopped. Did I go around the corner and avoid it or did I pedal on the way I had intended? I pedalled on. No, I was not feeling in the least bit brave but I tried to tell myself nothing was going to happen. I had every right to be where I was.

The car was illegally parked. The driver was sitting in it talking on the phone. I pedalled past. He shouted at me again.

If I was good at that sort of thing I might have been tempted to take a photograph myself and send it to the police. However it would not have been a wise move. 

I just hope he goes on using his phone while driving, gets caught and catches a fine. That would give me some satisfaction.