Mark Kennedy of Saturday Cycles fame posted this article about roads and behavior to the Critical Mass mailing list, it really resonated with me on both the levels of cyclist and concerned human being.
Twice this week I've been taken aback by my own actions on my bike, my stress or excitement inducing me into less-than-human behavior that shames me in retrospect.
First was biking across town, when I thought a car driver honked at me and I chased some guy down and started swearing at him. Not only was I mistaken, but the man I accosted turned out to be an incredibly calming and together guy (picture the Dude with a nice suit on). I couldn't begin to apologize enough.
Second was during midnight mass, where some of us turned a community event into some kind of informal time trial, endangering other riders and killing the buzz for some. I had to chuckle at myself when I read this relevant bikesnob post . I loved the fast paced ride, but I think both instances point to some kind of strange internal hubris that finds a way out when you approach your bike (or car) the wrong way.
Anyway, give the article a read, I'm very interested to hear what people think... and remember to stay positive and aware on your bike, out there in the big bad world.
I'm glad Mark posted that (and that Davey re-posted it), and for anyone who hasn't been to Saturday Cycles it might be worth a trip up there. He's got a ton of cool old & new steel framed bikes, like some Rivendells with 650b sized wheels and moustache bars. He also has some amazing bikes in the back of the shop including an old Trek. I may be headed up there in a month or so, if anyone would care to go along for the ride.
ReplyDeleteWow, that article couldn't be more true...Since I learned that bikes belong on the road and not on the sidewalk, I've felt like such a badass. I cruise down my side of the asphalt looking for a fight. Hoping I'll get an excuse to prove my calorie-powered bicycle over everyone's fuel guzzling engines. I've always been an advocate of peaceful protest, but a strange rage wakes up inside me the second I pull onto the street. Whether it's my adrenal glands working overtime as I pump my legs weaving through traffic, or like Kennedy said, it's the anger of THE WHEEL that takes over. Depending on how the altercation resulted, I either feel more empowered, or like you said Davey, ashamed. In either case, recounting your battle stories to other bikers brings the rush back and the shame is forgotten and I find myself on the road with the same mindset as I started. However, I don't believe that losing the wheels is going to solve all our road rage problems. Humans are inherently self-serving, and as long as selfishness is a natural part of our being, we're going to get angry at people that get in the way of where we want to go. So whether that's on foot, on wheels, or perhaps in the future, hovering over the ground, our asphalt pathways will always radiate rage.
ReplyDeletethat's true E... Selfishness does get people cagey and ragey, but there's also so much joy in biking as well! I know my happiest times result from some good friends and wheeling about, so there's always the good stuff there as well. Unfortunately it happens less often, but I think my favorite 'altercations' are the ones where I'm too damn happy to care, I just roll my eyes or do something silly rather than get angry.
ReplyDeleteIn fact today my friend and I were rolling along, and a dude in a car yelled out 'get on the sidewalk, you canadian faggot and your bike lanes!' We simply cracked up about it, and caught up to the guy at the next light. 'Did you just call me a canadian faggot?' my friend asked with a big smile on his face. The guy was still furious, but it totally didn't matter, we were completely unfazed and were blessed with the name for our first tallbike.
I think we as cyclists are usually on edge sometimes because of close calls or someone that does honk at us to get out of the road. Motorists just get upset because we are superior to them. Kidding (or am I?). I think being in a car really is like being trapped in a cage, and the more you deal with other inconsiderate drivers the more enraged you get and the more it builds up. My father drove a delivery van for a living. Needless to say, when he wasn't working, he wasn't driving. He had to deal with jerks on the road during work, hell is he was going to do it on his time off. I think doing that for a living is one thing that contributed to almost having a heart attack 3 years ago. When he was getting out of the hospital after surgery, the doctor told him he couldn't drive for 4 weeks, and he told the doctor thank you.
ReplyDeleteI know when I drove, I would get pissed off at the stupid things that other driver's did.
I feel a large problem with most people driving in motor vehicles is the lack of feeling the environment on the outside. I remember the day I realized that being in my car was holding me back from feeling the world around me. I have never been the same since my car died and I had to borrow my roomies bike to get to work at 4:45 am one brisk spring morning. I have been on both side of the fence, growing up in small town Iowa its a very "gay" thing to ride a bike. My friends and I still rode bikes, but it wasn't a main form of transportation it was to do tricks and to cause trouble in the middle of the night. Being part of both of the worlds I would have to agree with the article, no wheels for awhile would be great for people. When feeling angry I tend to jump on my bike throw on some headphones and head up to the U at night and just let the anger go into my legs. Biking is great for getting some of that anger out, but walking to me takes even more out. The calmness of walking and taking in everything very slowly allows me to see the small things I miss when flying past on my bicycle. One thing I noticed about the last car I bought was the lack of road rage I had while driving it. I believe the exhaust leak my old bug had was keeping me rather high on fumes while driving. It would take a very large amount of stress to harsh this exhaust high and get me anger. Maybe if people want to drive they should buy old VW's that leak exhaust in the cab or we can all just take a deep breath and go for a walk... Anybody want to go on a walk tonight? :)
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