I commute to work by bicycle, almost every day, and in almost any weather. I do so on a busy commuter chute.

Now, I suspect my old friend statistical clustering is at work, but my, uh, interaction rate with other drivers seems to have gone up recently, culminating today in a full-rage incident by a gentleman near the Patullo Bridge.

Seriously: I’m talking repeated attempts to cut me off, running me up onto the sidewalk at one point, stuff so bad that several other drivers honked at him, and eventually two boxed him in until I had a chance to talk to him.

Which by the way, leads me to a friendly reminder for anyone in a ragey mood: you have license plates on both ends of your car! What makes you think others can’t read and remember six characters? You do realize that plate uniquely identifies your car, and makes it traceable back to you, right? Let me assure you that years of taxpayer-subsidized education and employer-subsidized corrective lenses have left me well-equipped to report your license plate to the police.

And that is the director’s cut version of what I told the gentleman I encountered today. He got a little less stupid after that.

So, any theories? Rain rage? Preemptive toll bridge fury? I thought it might be me for a moment, but I ride in perfect harmony with other road users, so it can’t be that.