This morning, whilst I was commuting the shit out of my Wednesday morning, I was listlessly watching the traffic below from my bus window (only forgot my bloody Kindle, didn't I!?) Suddenly there was a loud cracking noise and I saw that just ahead of the bus that a motorcyclist had come a cropper against the back of a pickup, smashing his windscreen and mirrors and leaving debris over the road and his bike on its side. The cars around the accident immediately started trying to sneak either side of the scene (like party-goers when a drunk girl is crying on the stairs) and merge into other lanes, leaving the dual carriage-way looking like a dropped box of Lego; the motorcyclist, oddly calm, set about righting his bike.
Just then a figure in organgey-pinky fluorescence stepped in front of the scene- arms spread against the traffic like like a neon Jesus in a pastel blue helmet- and commanded the cars to stop. He then left his bicycle as a barrier to prevent anyone driving over anything and started to pick up the debris whilst the motorcyclist finished rightinghis bike and started pushing it through the gaps in the traffic- not even stopping to talk to the pickup driver, who was leaning out of his window without one single fuck to give about the whole thing [utterly fuckless.] Making a quiet exit and keepig his head down, he left the cyclist to stuff the debris into his jacket- INTO HIS JACKET- as he had no bag, and check to see if the truck driver was okay. I shit you not, there were shards of broken perspex and strips of metal that he had rattling against his chest: "Internal organs? Most of them come in pairs anyway- I'll be fine!" With the motocyclist gone he made one final sweep of the area for bits of motorcycle, apologised to the cars for the delay, and cycled off towards the city (WITH A JACKET FULL OF SHRAPNEL.)
Traffic started moving again, car windows rolled up, and the grind ground on- but that cyclist selflessly stopping to help certainly left an image on me.
London, this particular cyclist was doing it right! (The motorcyclist was arguably doing it wrong...)
Good cyclist, looking out for the tyres of other cyclists. Having cycled in London a lot I am amazed that none of the cars just rode rough-shod straight over his bike while he used it as a barrier, so they could wait at the next set of lights a bit sooner.
ReplyDelete