I've been riding the same commute for about 10 years now, with some variation to keep it interesting, but after awhile, I get used to the traffic patterns and what to expect on certain streets, like the quasi-industrial section of Maplewood along the rail tracks. I probably see a car every other day on that stretch. Totally quiet. Maybe twice a week a train goes by. Never see any pedestrians. All three conspired this morning to almost wipe me out!
Ever since Knockout Kings has been in the news, I've started giving pedestrians a wide berth, especially if they are coming off the sidewalk in front of me. So when I came by a parked car, these two guys popped off the sidewalk "out of nowhere", I instinctively swerved left to the center of the street. A freight train was passing parallel to my direction of travel so I couldn't hear much but the loud roar and clack of the train and squeeling brakes on the tracks. At the exact moment that I swerved away from the pedestrians on my right, a green wagon "suddenly appeared" on my left arm. I nearly bounced off the sideview mirror, but somehow corrected in time. Peds, train, car. Stupid move on my part. All in one instant of time. I could ride that stretch of road for another ten years and not have that confluence of events, that "miracle in reverse", occur. Nearly a very bad day. Thank God for miracles and reverse miracles avoided!
