There was a trend a few years ago
where environmentalists were vandalizing Hummers, primarily via spray paint, in
order to show their disapproval of SUVs and those who would own a vehicle that
is flagrantly unnecessary in most circumstances. This strategy did two things:
(1) Owners of vandalized Hummers got
new Hummers (If they can afford a
Hummer then they can afford
insurance).
(2) Hummer owners, who previously
might have had at least a green bent, became resentful of environmentalists and
the environmental movement.
Some people are never going to be
even the slightest bit ecocentric, just as there will always be motorists who
honk at cyclists as though it’s a bodily function or those that are at extreme
risk for a middle finger, repeated use injury.
Riding down Emigration the other
day, I followed a cyclist who, after being forced to brake slightly, appeared
obligated to flip off the motorist who may or may not have intentionally cut
this rider off. Regardless of intention, being on the business end of the
middle finger is a black mark in the mind of that motorist who may now be less
willing to slow down or give an adequate cushion of safety to the next cyclist.
This is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The marginalized-cyclist mentality,
and the associated negative behavior, does little to improve our standing in
the road usage hierarchy. For our own sake, there is a vital need to begin
giving motorists the respect they deserve. Our positive interactions are a far
more influential tool in encouraging the responsible behaviors in which we
would like motorists to engage.
This begs the question, how do we
both exert our rights to the road while not alienating the users who are
larger, more ubiquitous and often entitled? Which cyclist behaviors are
beneficial in creating an attitude among motorists that cyclists belong?
Great post, and point. I have certainly been an aggressive cyclist in the past - spit, swear, finger -whatever, but I have matured. I find this aggressive, and bratty entitled attitude does more to alienate us, cyclists, as the problem. It is true that getting into the glass and steel bubble insulates people from the world in a way that can make people act selfish and nasty. Exactly the opposite of why many of us like to ride, the connection to the world, the weather the ride. So to answer the question that ends the post; what behavior is beneficial? A big old smile and generosity. Give drivers the benefit of the doubt, chances are they didn't mean to cut you off or kill your momentum. They certainly don't want to kill you, though it may seem that way from the narrow shoulder.
ReplyDelete-Cranky-
Excellent post. I try to think about this as I ride and I'm still torn in some ways. I am not an aggressive cyclist (in that I rarely react to cars with anger) but I also tend not to have cars react to me. That said, I still run clear red lights sometimes and do other such illegal things, always praying as I skip through the intersection that the cars understand the way I slowed or stopped, waited a couple seconds, and only went when it was really seriously soooo clear. I know I'm probably hurting the cycling image, but I am still too competitive or something to act like a car.
ReplyDeleteI've never really seen an angry response to a car turn out anything positive. What can we do? Smile more. That's what I do. I smile and nod at cars, say thanks to them as I pass when they wait until I pass before they turn left, even though it's my right of way. I still appreciate that they saw me and didn't cut me off. Same with cars that don't pull out in front of me, even if they have loads of time to. As I pass I give them a grateful nod to maybe make it worth the wait. Instead of claiming the road indignantly because it's our right I think we should claim it gratefully.
I agree completely. Positive interaction makes all the difference. Eye contact, smiling, nodding and waving all seem to ease the tension (at least in most situations). Drivers who genuinely try to share the road appreciate the acknowledgement, while those with a vendetta are at least momentarily flummoxed, if not entirely deflated, by a sincere smile and wave.
ReplyDeleteThis is particularly effective if you are following the rules of the road, as you can wink and smile with full confidence that you are in the right, even if the driver doesn't know it.
In the rare case in which a nod or wave further angers an aggressive driver, how about avoiding them at all costs? Slow down or take an alternate route, and get their license plate number. Who wants to share the road with a murderous loose cannon? You can't escalate a roadway conflict if you leave. I would do the same on the highway in a car, avoiding road ragers because they are unpredictable time bombs, and you aren't changing their mind any time soon through mute charades or a yelling match.
This kind of post is really irritating to me.
ReplyDeleteClearly the author was offended and wants to vent. I don’t really see any substance to it besides that, also we really only get one side of the story so who knows what really happened.
The way I think about this kind of thing is how many times does a motorist offend you? Probably daily. But we don’t see angry blog posts all over the internet saying how motorist need to be “nice.” This shows how ingrained in our heads, even in the head of a supposed bicyclist activist, that the roads really belong to cars and bicyclist should just be grateful for the small piece of shoulder filled with rocks and potholes and usually more parked cars.
A real bike activist wouldn’t waste their time writing condescending posts about how cyclists should behave. Instead they should be pushing for better infrastructure, encouraging other people to get on their bikes, and organizing and marketing bike stuff.
I was almost hit by a car on my way to work this morning. I would have loved to yell and throw a fit, but the driver wouldn’t have noticed. They didn’t see me at all. I think they have no clue that they almost killed me. Instead of being upset about this, though, I should probably be blowing him kisses and being grateful that I was able to use a sliver of his road anyway.
If you'll read the paragraph beginning "Riding down Emigration Canyon the other day" you will see that the author was not on a single-sided tirade to be an anti-car, pro-middle finger activist. He instead posed two examples of extremism that don't seem to work. Then he asked us as readers to give our opinions on what we should do to have better relationships with motorists. I don't see the relevancy of your comment here. I invite you to read the post again. Thanks for reading and for your comment.
ReplyDeleteThanks for replying. You are right that I didn’t realize that the author was another biker behind the cyclist, I thought he was a driver of the car that got flipped off.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe I am reading more into this than I should and maybe this wasn’t the point of this post.
But my attitude is that cyclist are already marginalized. We have very poor infrastructure compared to what cars have, many cars don’t even think to look for bikes, we have to breathe fuel exhaust all day, I have even heard people say bikes only belong on sidewalks. etc.
Another example a few weeks back I was commuting on 17 east where a bike symobol is painted across the whole bike lane. I was biking there while hugging one side because I didn’t want to slow traffic and a car comes behind me and starts honking. Come’on. They have every other street in this city and several multi-million dollar freeways. I have a few poorly kept bike lanes here and there and even in those I really need to yield to cars.
My point is that while I don’t know the details of the example above, often cyclist have the right to be upset.
When you go to these real bike cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen and even Portland, I think they got that way by promoting better infrastructure and making it easier and safer overall to ride a bike. I don’t think they got that way by trying really hard to not step on the toes of any motorist.