Alive & Well & Fast As Hell

The full account of making some stupid dangerous moves on my bike commute to work this morning:

What happened was a domino effect.  Picture a red light with a left turn lane in front of you, with lots of cars backed up at the light to go straight on a moderately busy road, Washington Avenue in Piscataway, NJ.  I usually sneak up on the right of those backed up stopped cars.  There was a truck very far to the right and I wasn't going to fit.  So I figured I would sneak up the left side and cut through the red light before it turned green - no prob, I do that illegal move all the time - it is probably safer because it keeps me out of the traffic when it starts moving - at that point I am already on the right in the shoulder and everybody sees me.  Anyway, when I make the decision to pass on the left, a school bus pulled into the left turn lane and stops, and it was squeezed close to the other lane, so I couldn't slip between, and I decided to go left of it, even though it would be turning left!  But still no prob, as long as the light would remain red.  But it didn't, or course.  It goes green, and there were hesitating oncoming cars, so I went even further left to the crosswalk, which should have been fine, except that the oncoming car waved the bus through and it began to accelerate straight into me and I saw it out of the corner of my eye and all I could do is accelerate hoping to get out of its way and I heard those kids scream as it just missed my rear wheel!...  The kids saw me but I am 100% sure the driver never did.  This is the view from the perspective of the bus driver of the intersection (Google maps with street view is amazing!)


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It had been raining here in NJ for two weeks, so I have been driving daily  to work.  I needed this ride and prepared hastily when I saw on TV from my bed this morning no rain in this morning's forecast. Not one clip-out and those stupid dangerous moves resulted in a new speed record for this route. In my morning haste at home, I realized I forgot my wallet this morning after I got to work, so had I been hit I would have been without ID.... But it was fun hearing those kids on that school bus scream when they thought the driver was going to t-bone me.  I guess I am both a stupid and lucky guy!