Notes on passing other cyclists and being passed

This week while I was riding in Washington, DC, cycling home, a cyclist came up behind me on my left and yelled, "Can you move over to the left, please?"

This was annoying, for two reasons. One, just the arrogance of giving me, another cyclist, instruction, and two, the nonsensical nature of it since moving to the left would put me directly in her path (since she was on the left). I ignored it and continued on, pedaling up a hill, in the left third of the bike lane (to avoid car doors), on a busy street in rush hour with a lot of other cyclists and cars around. She asked again. I again ignored. And then she passed me on the left. I assumed she must have meant move to the right, since moving to the left wasn't possible. As she passed, I yelled, "I don't want to get hit by car doors!" And she yelled back, "I said left!"

This was a very confusing episode to me. It happened a couple of days ago and I'm still thinking about it. Here's my philosophy on passing: If I want to pass someone, whether car, pedestrian, or cyclist, it's my responsibility to do so safely, quickly, and ideally without pissing someone off. I certainly wouldn't think of telling another cyclist to move over so I could pass more easily. I also pass on the left because I don't want to get hit by a car door or pass someone on the right where they're not expecting it.

Here's my problem with some cyclists in DC. Most of them are safe and polite and try not to scare or annoy other cyclists and pedestrians. But there's a vocal minority who zoom into crosswalks, narrowly missing pedestrians, bob in and out of traffic and almost get themselves hurt, and do other dangerous maneuvers to save a precious few seconds. I'm putting this cyclist in the same category. Someone who is arrogant enough to yell out directions to a fellow cyclist is someone with a dangerous sense of entitlement on the road. It simply baffles me. I try my best to be a decent ambassador of sorts for cyclists to people who encounter me. I'm not perfect. I can't always present the best image. But I do try not to scare pedestrians or piss off drivers. I try to be predictable on the road so drivers see me and know what to expect from me. I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable directing another cyclist on where to ride/to move over/whatever. But I do feel comfortable ignoring a person who tries to do that to me and telling the person no if I have to.