I was riding home a week ago on Ohio 91, heading north from a ride with a buddy on one of our beautiful spring days late in this crazy fall. The two or four lane road had opened up to a 6 or 7 lane road in the midst of several shopping centers. I had pulled up to a red light behind a car, maybe 10 or 12' back, in gear, figuring if i needed to, I could ride around his right side since I was in the left most lane. Traffic was moderately heavy and a couple of cars pulled up on my right close to the car ahead, sealing off that escape route. A car pulled up behind me, leaving a comfortable space, and more soon followed. I realized I was boxed in - protected, even by all the cars - and relaxed, bike in neutral.
The stoplight was what I call a divided light, both sides get a green turn arrow and no green light, then the arrows go red, and the green comes on for both directions. We got the arrow and I snicked into 1st, nobody in my lane was turning and it was not mandatory for this lane despite being the far left lane. Remember I was headed northbound. Suddenly a red pickup driving eastbound whizzed around the corner heading south in his curb lane. Obviously, he was beating a red light. At the apogee of his turn, two unsecured, brand new queen or king sized mattresses were ejected from the back of his pickup like dual clay pigeons being launched simultaneously. They cleared the first lane to the pickup's left, slammed down in the next lane and started sliding across the road, the first one toward me, the second aiming for a car somewhere behind me. I inched forward - the light was still red a car not far ahead of me, and the mattress, still sliding but protected in its heavy plastic cover, thudded into the wheel of the car behind me. Had it hit me and knocked the wheels out from under the bike, I would have fallen onto a nice soft, brand new, bedbug free mattress.
Under slightly different circumstances, I could see those flying mattresses taking out a rider heading south across the intersection as the pickup turned. Be careful out there!
The stoplight was what I call a divided light, both sides get a green turn arrow and no green light, then the arrows go red, and the green comes on for both directions. We got the arrow and I snicked into 1st, nobody in my lane was turning and it was not mandatory for this lane despite being the far left lane. Remember I was headed northbound. Suddenly a red pickup driving eastbound whizzed around the corner heading south in his curb lane. Obviously, he was beating a red light. At the apogee of his turn, two unsecured, brand new queen or king sized mattresses were ejected from the back of his pickup like dual clay pigeons being launched simultaneously. They cleared the first lane to the pickup's left, slammed down in the next lane and started sliding across the road, the first one toward me, the second aiming for a car somewhere behind me. I inched forward - the light was still red a car not far ahead of me, and the mattress, still sliding but protected in its heavy plastic cover, thudded into the wheel of the car behind me. Had it hit me and knocked the wheels out from under the bike, I would have fallen onto a nice soft, brand new, bedbug free mattress.
Under slightly different circumstances, I could see those flying mattresses taking out a rider heading south across the intersection as the pickup turned. Be careful out there!
