Mexican standoff at the 4-way stop

You must have been in this situations before. You cycle up to a four-way intersection, slowly coming to a stop (because STOP sign), and the cars already at the crossing now freeze like deer caught in the headlights.

We are now in the middle of a good ol' Mexican standoff. I see that the cars were already at the intersection when I got there and they have the right-of-way, so I don't move. The drivers either have this unrealistic expectation that I can somehow bike super fast through that intersection and collide with them if they go first, or alternatively they are feeling courteous for a change and want me to go first. Either way, they don't move.

If you are a car driver reading this, please pull over and pay attention.

When you find yourself in such a standoff, there are a few things to keep in mind that can help resolve the situation without casualties. To start, if you got there first, obviously you have the right-of-way. Please use it! Even if you didn't exactly get there first, but you see that I am stopped, with my feet on the ground, and looking in your direction, it means I can see you, and I'm waiting for you to drive. I have ordered the flux-capacitor for the bike, but Amazon has not delivered it yet. Without it my little gnomic legs are no match for your 6-cylinder minivan. So give'er! You will be through that intersection in less time than it takes you to say "climate change is a hoax".

As far as courtesy goes, I don't mean to be ungrateful, but perhaps you could save it for when you're passing me on the road and then give me extra clearance? It is actually not to my advantage to be "allowed to go first" at the intersection. It puts me on the spot!  Perhaps I had been pushing it, but have now just come to a full stop, and was looking forward to those 10 seconds of respite before starting again.

And if you want to get my attention please don't wave your arms inside your car to signal me to go. I can't see you! See exhibit A, "driver waving arms at a cyclist" below:

Exhibit A: Driver waving arms at a cyclist

You might as well be using smoke signals from your exhaust pipe... If it is totally unclear whose turn it is, and you really want to get my attention, try flashing your headlights, tapping the horn -- yes, you can do it without being rude ( just practice a bit in the comfort of your own home first until you get the hang of it), or you may even roll down your window for some friendly waving. Unlike those at the office, windows in your car can open!

Gnomic Samurai is a Whovian. He has a Weeping Angel on the top of his Christmas tree. Gnomic Samurai does not blink.

Don't be reactionary. Be gnomic!

Gnomic Samurai sometimes hears people describing themselves or their behaviour as reactionary and he suspects they don't actually mean it. Latest on the list was the Ottawa mayor on a radio interview last week. The mayor was talking about policing, and sticking to his opposition against the creation of a Safe Injection Site in Ottawa. Well, come to think of it we has in fact being reactionary! But when he used the word in the interview he seemed to want it to mean reactive. 

Best practice is usually to avoid trying to make words mean things they don't - unless you're a poet. Otherwise next thing you know you'll be saying a friend is a fascista when what you want to say is that she's a fashionista (whatever the heck that means...)