Well it happened again, another driver came dangerously close to me while passing this morning. This time it was a big white coach bus that passed me with less than a foot to spare. The air stream pushed and then pulled on the bike. SCARY! Please, Drivers, give use no less than three feet of distance between us!

I immediately pulled over and called the Grant County Sheriffs’ department, who forwarded my complaint to the Fennimore Porice Department.

Later in the day I contacted the Fennimore Police and spoke with officer Streeter, who had pulled the bus over and talked to the driver. The driver he explained did not realize how close he was. Hmmm, perhaps he shouldn’t be driveing a bus then.

Well it was a beautiful bicycle ride to work until I was almost hit by an on-coming car passing another car.

I was biking to work for the first time this year without tights on.  Shorts, a jersy and a shell.  Wow, what a beautiful day.  But then, as I was just over half way to work, a car decides to pass a truck a short distance in front of me.  I knew it was too short of a distance for her to pass the truck safely before getting to the point where I was so I started waving my left arm so that the driver would realize that they were passing another vehicle with me in the other lane.  The driver saw me and did not pull back in behind the truck but excellerated past me coming within three feet of me.

OK, at that point, still waving, I screamed out a WTF (hopefully heard by the driver).  I couldn’t figure out what was so important that she couldn’t wait the 1/4 mile distance to where her lane became two lanes for passing, while going up a hill.  This happens a couple times a year and I have always wished a police officer would be there to see it and pull the person over to educate them on how illegal and dangerous that is.  Today there was a Grand County sheriffs car just three cars in back of the car that pulled out and passed nearly hitting me. Seeing the sheriffs car there gave me a feeling of satisfaction knowing that the officer would pull the woman over and educate her on just how dangerous that was and she would reassure the officer that is would never happen again.  She would then think better about passing while approaching a cyclist, taking safety into mind. 

Now waving to the sheriffs car a wave of “go get her” he passed the point I was at he waved to me and continued.  I stopped the bike and looked back thinking I would now see flashing lights, but he did nothing.  He didn’t pursue the car who had passed illegally and with total disregard to my safety.  I was appalled!  Wasn’t that his job, to promote safety, to educate, to act on behalf of citizens who only want to feel, be safe?!

The place where we were at gave the officer a complete view of all the cars and me on my bike and the entire incident (as the southbound traffic is taking a large curve to the left).  He saw what had happened.  He did nothing about it!

As he drove out of distance up the hill I called the Grant County Sheriffs department on my cell phone.  I was mad! Mad as hell that the one time a law officer is there to see such a thing, the police officer totally ignored it.  A dispatcher answered the phone and I angrilly told him what had just happened.  They asked for the color of the car.  Being color blind and wearing yellow tinted sunglasses, I said I thought it was silver.  He asked me to explain what had happened, and I wondered why he just couldn’t ask the officer who had moments before waved at me as he ignored the situation he had just wittnessed.

This is not my first encounter with the Grant County Sheriffs office, I have had contact with them before.  Once, in the middle of winter, I had a flat.  I was struggling with getting the tire back on when an unmarked sheriffs car came past heading south.  He turned around and then gave me a lift to my office in Fennimore.  That was a very pleasant experience.  I know a few of the officers in the area and by and large they seem very nice and are looking out for people.  But why is it that if an incident happens involving a cyclist I tend to think they really don’t care?  Are they the same way with the Amish I see riding in their buggies around the area?  I hope not.  Are they the same way with the farmers who travel with their equipment up and down every road in the county?  I doubt it.  So why the attitude with cyclists?

Well the conversation with the dispatcher continued for five minutes and the police officer (once called) did not see a silver car in front of him. Hmmm?  I was told they would look into it.  What does this mean?  Look into what?  A car that may or may not be silver that may be anywhere in the county by now?  I’m waiting on pins and needles to find out what they call back with.

I’m betting now that there will be no follow up what-so-ever, and that seeing the same thing happen in front of the officer will elicit the same response.  NOTHING!

WTF!?