Sometimes...

Most times cars and bike pleasantly cohabitate the same spans of pavement with little to no incident. Most times bikes can ride home from work in the bike lane with little care or concern for the traffic streaming by them. Sometimes, however, people decide they need to take short cuts through residential neighborhoods, like the side streets along Colfax Avenue. And sometimes these people decide that their need to get somewhere in a hurry supersedes the rights of others to share the roadways with them. Sometimes these people hurtle their P.O.S. late 90’s white sedans down these residential streets easily 15-20mph in excess of the speed limit. Sometimes they roll almost through the stop sign on 14th before noticing the bicyclist entering the intersection. And sometimes their tires squeal to a halt. And sometimes the cyclist gives them the WTF hand wave and glares at them while riding around the hood of their car, 3 feet into the 2.5 foot wide bike lane. And sometimes behind that incredulous and unknowing cyclist sits a Lakewood police officer in an inconspicuous SUV. Sometimes this officer gives the white sedan driving, late stopping, reckless speedster his own WTF look and flips on his lights. And sometimes, just sometimes the cyclist rides by the driver of the sedan and looks through the thin window pane of glass between them and smiles with the smug, contented smile of the vindicated. This never happens most times, seldom happens oftentimes but sometimes…just sometime.