March 9th, 2009
NYT: The Wild Bunch
There’s an interesting article in the New York Times about how to improve bicycling’s public image. Here’s an excerpt:
There are still detractors; Fox News aired a report a few months ago blaming the new bike lane on Grand Street for not only clogging up car traffic in Lower Manhattan but — potentially! — putting pedestrians’ lives in danger. Less reported was the story of the biker who was — actually! — killed by a truck driver in a hit-and-run in October. But despite such criticism, people are gradually losing the car-centric view of Manhattan and are sensing that the streets are for more than automobiles.
We bikers, in other words, have been on the receiving end. Now, as much as we would perhaps prefer not to, we must stop to look at ourselves and realize that we have a little giving to do. I am talking about perceptions, about the things we should do outside the letter of the law, like the way we try not to kill the person in front of us in the revolving doors.
Read the full article in the NYT →
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5 Responses to “NYT: The Wild Bunch”
I have to agree with the writer’s point (although he didn’t know what sharrows are). Yeah, things are bad everywhere in the land of the brave and free for anyone not in a car, but it’s not going to get better if we are perceived as sheep or wolves. But we also live in a time when many people obey only their own law, or only those they agree with . And they are quite vocal about it.
If 100% of all cyclists followed the laws 100% of the time, it still would not change the fundamental prejudice that many motorists have against cyclists. This is evident even in the Times piece, where the writer denigrates those ‘other’ cyclists who are not like him: the hipsters and the lycra clad roadies.
Check out Paul Dorn’s retort to the common claim that cyclists don’t follow traffic laws.
Motorists in general have a deeply ingrained sense of entitlement, so deeply ingrained that most are unlikely even aware of it. And no doubt, there is widespread prejudice against bicyclists in the U.S. That said, it only gives ammunition to the opposition if we flagrantly dismiss traffic laws.
Remember what your mother told you: Two wrongs don’t make a right.
When I go for a walk or a ride, I see bad behavior by motorists every day of the week. However, blaming bicyclists’ scofflaw behaviors on motorists won’t make the situation better. It’s like becoming a police state or acting like an imperial power because other nations are doing so. How does that make anything any better.
Sure, I roll through stop signs, and even ride through red lights if no one is around and the light sensors don’t seem to be responding to a bicycle. But I know damn well that if I act stupid or arrogant on a bicycle, not only am I endangering myself, I’m also sending a clear message that rules don’t apply to me.
End of rant…;-)
There are scofflaws on in both auto drivers and cyclists. Yet neither one is justification for the car that right hooks me. Yet scofflaw cyclists are given the blame for auto drivers negligence or malice all the time. That blame belongs squarely on the auto drivers responsible.
Just a couple weeks ago a driver pulling out of a “Burgermaster” fast food joint pulled into my lane without looking (for a turn). I stopped short and barely avoided getting killed. The driver rolled down his window and yelled at me – “I am sorry, but do you have to give me that LOOK?!?”. I think he was upset at scofflaw cyclists, right?!
Also it is not illegal to go through a red light that has a sensor that won’t trip for you. You need to wait a bit, but you can go through it.
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