Is That Guy Tailgating a Bus?

Speeding, as a means to get to work quickly, is dumb. I mean, sure, it's fun whizzing past traffic, but you aren't cutting minutes off of your commute by going 80. Know why?

Stoplights - the other great equalizer.

My average speed for my commute is about 26 miles per hour. This includes my ever-so-fun high speed blast down the HOV lane. I don't pretend it gets me to work quickly, it's just a thrill. On days I'm not feeling fast, I ride slower. I get to work at the same time either way, because adding ten, or even twenty miles per hour to my freeway ride only increases my average speed by a one or two miles per hour, and that's if I ride fast for a long stretch of time.

This morning, a guy on a gixxer zipped past me in the HOV lane, fully tucked, wearing a fleece jacket. I was already going at a pretty good speed, so I didn't bother trying to keep up with him. I did keep an eye on him, though. Soon enough, he caught up to a bus. And started tailgating.

Now, this is just dumb. The bus driver can't see you, so he/she isn't going to move out of the lane. Furthermore, it's a bus. The back wheels throw stuff. A bus is so big you can't see around them. And it's a bus! Stay the hell away from trucks and buses!

Naturally, I caught up to the dummy in a matter of seconds. He somehow got around the bus and zoomed ahead. As I changed lanes to pass the bus, another dude on a gixxer zipped around and passed me in the center lane. He immediately got caught behind a slow SUV. I giggled to myself as I passed the bus and changed back to the HOV lane, accelerating ahead of the guy who'd been so eager to pass me.

I watched this new racer pass me on my right several times, changing lanes and accelerating hard to get ahead of the latest obstacle. And I passed him again and again every time he got himself stuck in a group of slow-moving cages.

I hope he was having fun, because he sure wasn't getting anywhere fast. I won't judge anyone for going fast (so long as they're only endangering themselves), but cutting time off of a commute requires a better strategy than "go fast when you can."

If you want to get somewhere quickly, find a route that keeps you moving, even if it's slow. You want to increase your average speed, not just your peak speed.