Cars are not the problem. You are the problem.
Posted in Blog on 04. May, 2012
An open letter to cyclists,
Every few years my local paper’s Letters to the Editor section features people writing in on the Cars v. Bikes subject. Drivers are angry at cyclists who disregard traffic laws. Cyclists are incensed by rude drivers yelling at them or running them off the road. Recently I read about a cyclist in Indianapolis who pulled a gun from his fanny pack and shot out the back window of a car with whom he had had a honk-flip off-brake slamming on incident and about some municipalities who want to outlaw two abreast riding. Seems like the intolerance on both sides is getting worse. It all came to a head for me yesterday.
I have seen the enemy and enemy is us.
I was riding with Mikey going west on Eastern Avenue approaching downtown Cincinnati. It’s a four lane (2 each direction) road. We were riding side-by-side rolling along talking. We caught and passed a guy who I would classify as a cyclist, but not a “racer” (carbon Specialized, jersey, shorts, helmet, middle aged). We gave him a “Hello, how ya’ doing,” as we passed. Two miles later we hit a red light as we entered downtown. We were in the right lane. There was a dump truck in the lane to our left already stopped. We stopped. Five seconds later, light still red, non-racer guy comes from behind and blows through the red light on the left of the dump truck and in the oncoming lane over the double yellow. Really!!? I think I’d like to talk to this guy and gently persuade him not to do things that. Explain how his actions reflect badly on cyclists in general. The light goes green and I set off after him. I have just about tracked him down when the next light changes to red. I stop, he goes through… again. I never did get a chance to talk to him.
Do I always obey the traffic laws when riding? No, of course not. Do I always obey all the traffic laws when driving my car? No, of course not — and neither to you. But I would like you to consider how your actions are perceived and how I now become – because of Joe Run the Red Light – that guy in the eyes of motorists. I am lumped in with “all cyclists” and “all cyclists” look the same and do the same stupid things on the road in the eyes of many drivers.
Group Rides
Ride two abreast. It’s fine, it’s permissible under the law, it’s social, sometimes it’s safer. But, if there is a car behind you, why not single up? Give them a polite “thanks for your patience and not running us down” wave. Riding three abreast? Four abreast? Crossing the center line? I’ve seen it all on the local group rides. This is not a race. The road is not closed to traffic.You are not a pro. You will never be a pro. You will be dead if you keep riding like that.
Intersections
My rule is always stop at red lights. Sometimes, if there is not a car behind me and I don’t trip the light sensor, the light never changes. If that happens I”ll roll through when safe. If the police stop me I’d be happy to explain my actions. Stop Signs: I have a fairly in depth set of “if / then’s” when dealing with stop signs. If it is a 4-way stop and there are cars present and cued up then I stop with foot off the pedal and on the ground. If it is a 4-way stop and there are cars present but not cued up and I am at the intersection first then I slow down to an almost stop, with foot on pedal, then go (a rolling stop essentially). If it is a 4-way stop and a car can see me from any vantage point I make a good faith effort to slow down to an almost stop. You are thinking, “hey, I’m not impacting the flow of traffic if I bust an intersection where cars are not present. I’m not hurting anyone. Why stop?” Again — when you blow through an intersection I become you in the eyes of the motorist who sees you do it. I become the target of his irritation and anger.
Ok, here’s the part where I become the sanctimonious, elitist, grumpy old bike racer. I have been riding and racing bikes for 30 years. I am a USAC Category 1 racer. I have ridden and raced all over the US and Europe. New guy rider who watches the Tour on Versus, buys a fancy bike and kit, trains twice per week and rides like an idiot in traffic — STOP IT!! It is not cool, pro, or otherwise acceptable to ride like you do. You are pissing off motorists. I am not you. I know how to coexist with cars. I know how to ride safely. The problem is that they (motorists) think I am you.
A postscript to cars:
Perhaps unbelievable to you, cyclists might be out there riding to work, are car drivers too, and have the legal right to be on the road. We are riding 2′ – 3′ from the edge of the roadway to avoid holes, glass, dead animals, gravel, sand, opening car doors, and oh by the way, because we are allowed to under Ohio law. Incidentally, we are not permitted to ride on the sidewalk (a favorite slogan yelled from the passing car) unless we are under age 13. Slow down, don’t pass so close, stop talking on your cell phone, and do you really need to make a dangerous pass endangering my life, your life, and the lives of oncoming traffic just so you get to UDF 30 seconds quicker to buy your fat ass another milkshake?
OHIO LAWS FOR BIKES
http://www.cincinnaticycleclub.org/education/law/ohiobikelaws/
