07-07-2016, 08:05 AM
I think the reason these workers might suffer more abuse than others is because the public they are dealing with is a lot of cases in cars (though obviously not all- for instance, the guy who threatened some workers with a knife wasn’t!). Various levels of road rage are not uncommon. I’ve heard and experienced abuse on the road that I couldn’t imagine hearing in, say, a coffee shop. It’s easy to hurl an epithet (or an object…) at a worker who you think is the face of all of those delays you’re experiencing, when you feel relatively anonymous in your vehicle and are about to speed away. And, properly, when things are going well drivers are focused on driving, and not on trying to get workers’ attention to shout positive comments at them.
On bike and foot, I’ve had both positive and negative interactions with workers. At lower speeds, it’s easier to engage on both sides to ask a question or make a comment. Even when I think they’re being a bit rude or abrupt, they’re not going to swear at someone who is right there, and likewise I’m not going to be too aggressive towards someone whose face I can clearly see who is only a few feet away. I think the temptation to say whatever one wants is pretty great when it’s from a car window and your victim doesn’t even have the opportunity to retort.
I’m surprised that anyone accustomed to working on road construction would even find the hostility noteworthy any more. To me, it seems sadly logical. Just another variation on road rage.
On bike and foot, I’ve had both positive and negative interactions with workers. At lower speeds, it’s easier to engage on both sides to ask a question or make a comment. Even when I think they’re being a bit rude or abrupt, they’re not going to swear at someone who is right there, and likewise I’m not going to be too aggressive towards someone whose face I can clearly see who is only a few feet away. I think the temptation to say whatever one wants is pretty great when it’s from a car window and your victim doesn’t even have the opportunity to retort.
I’m surprised that anyone accustomed to working on road construction would even find the hostility noteworthy any more. To me, it seems sadly logical. Just another variation on road rage.