BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 30 min.
TIME BACK: 28 min. (woot!)
WEATHER: overcast, -9C (-15C with wind chill), 13 km/hr wind there; overcast, -9C, 9 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: fleece pants, turtleneck, fleece mid-layer jacket, lobster gloves, balaclava
NOTES:
Oh, fellow Edmontonians, can't we just live in peace?
Yesterday on the way home from work, I got a "Try using the bike lane!" yelled at me from a passing car. This morning, a black Escalade (I can only assume it was driven by a drug dealer and/or pimp) drove past and someone - a passenger-side woman, just like yesterday - verbally assaulted me with "Get off the road!" Perhaps she was just frustrated with her work as the pimp's #2 Bitch (there are hierarchies everywhere, collaboration be damned). Still, that kind of behaviour isn't necessary. Especially along Stony Plain Road, which is wide and generally clear of snow and upon which I'm able to ride so far to the right that cars can pass me without even moving out of the lane. Come to think of it, the woman who yelled at me from the Escalade was actually driving two lanes over from me, so I really don't understand what caused her to release her inner demons on me. Anyway . . . I was still reeling from this when, further along in my ride, I was crossing at an intersection when a bus that was not yet at the intersection in question honked at me as though I'd somehow cut it off - which, by the way, I hadn't.
Oh, President Barack Obama, we have so much more in common than you might think. You're trying to get beyond bipartisanship and bring in policy that works for your country regardless of which party it represents. I'm also straddling the line between two opposing groups - I am a cyclist, and I'm also a driver. I love both methods of transportation, do my best to follow the rules and stay safe regardless of my vehicle of choice, and can appreciate both perspectives on whether cyclists should be allowed on roadways or not. I would love to bring together the drivers and the cyclists and engage in some meaningful debate about policies that affect the safety and efficiency of how everyone gets around, whether they're in a 6000 lb Hummer or riding a 20 lb road bike (though, I must state my bias: anyone who thinks they need to own and drive a Hummer is probably an asshole). But the two sides are so divided! Is it even possible to share love between cyclists and drivers, or is this a lost cause?
After days like yesterday and today, I'm feeling pretty doubtful that we'll ever see eye to eye. And all I'm thinking as I'm cycling along is, "Come on, drivers: where is the love?"
Some motorists are so angry and hostile! Must be all that lack of exercise, they've got some pent up feelings :)
ReplyDeleteGetting yelled at by drivers is almost a customary, traditional part of riding a bicycle in such a fossil fuel hungry city. Personally, I just say something to myself like 'Well let's see THEM get themself around the city using only their own legs!' and laugh it off with a sense of cyclist superiority.
That said, some of the more 'casual' cyclists (including some homeless downtown) are reckless and sometimes need to be yelled/honked at when they try something crazy like going the wrong way down Jasper ave, holding a bag of empty bottles, with no helmet.
I have to say, the yelling genuinely intimidated me at first, but next time I'm going to try to take your attitude towards it and smirk to myself at how completely ridiculous angry motorists are. I know I'm doing what I can to follow the rules, be courteous, and stay safe, and those are only a few of the reasons I'm a much better person than them. :)
ReplyDeleteI hear what you're saying about the casual cyclists though - my jaw drops every time I see a cyclist riding around in the winter without a helmet. Why take such a freakin' risk??? Maybe I just value my melon more than others might - but I figure I've invested enough time and money in my education that my melon is probably the most valuable part of my body, so I'm protecting that puppy like nobody's business!