The Nail
The nail that stands out gets hammered the most.
Calling a much slower instrument a vehicle and placing it on the road with much larger vehicles only with a thin shear blanket of a law is lazy. I am of the opinion that the definition of bicycles as vehicles is flawed. If the law and motorist’s courtesy is all that sufficiently protects a cyclist on a road, then let’s remove sidewalks and place the pedestrians on the road as well. They can use the shoulder and save bucket loads of money on concrete sidewalks.
Projecting a vehicular cyclist logic forward, cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks, tractor-trailers, bicycles, wheel chair bound disabled people, pedestrians etc. will all be called ‘widgets’ and all widgets will share the road with each other. Why should pedestrians be separated from the road to make it easier for vehicles to travel safely? Why support vehicular superiority? Vehicular Cyclists do not aggressively support Shared Space (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space), making their arguments hypocritic and selfish.
Living in any sprawled area with no infrastructure but the blind principles of John Forrester makes life friction-full. Yells and honks start becoming an itch that wouldn’t cease so much that you would wish to cut off your limb to ease the pain. Initially, optimism and gumption help overcome the constant reminder that you as a bicyclist are unwanted and unwelcome on the road. The hammering does not stop, not till a large organization (Eg. a government) recognizes it and makes plans to stop it. Such efforts are usually graced with positive and constructive outcomes as seen in the cities of Portland OR, Davis CA and New York City NY.
I have decided to stop getting hammered. I am buying a motorcycle and moving to a bicycle-friendly neighborhood further away from work. I am moving from the top of a pile of bicycle commuters to the bottom of the pile of motor-vehicle commuters. In my efforts to latch on to a higher dynamic quality, namely car-free bicycle commuting, I am degenerating to an activity of lower quality, namely motorcycle ownership for commuting. I have kept gas bills, insurance and depreciation on the motorcycle to a frugal low of $100 a month, which used to be my taxi fare budget.
Lastly, the people who continue to bicycle commute here, Jonathan, Jose, Rebekah and the couple others who I haven’t met, are bigger people than I am. They are true heroes.
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August 30th, 2009 at 7:15 am
I think it kinda funny that you obviously didn’t take a bicycle course (or you wouldn’t rant at vehicular cycling) and decide to drop it and take a statistically more dangerous mode of travel (motorcycle) but have the good sense to take a course. If you’d taken bike-ed to begin with you wouldn’t have been so afraid. The stuff you’re taking in the motorcycle course is pretty much what you would learn in a vehicular cycling course. Lane position , being aware that you’re ‘invisible’ to drivers etc. Maybe after taking the MC course you would feel better driving a bicycle. Good luck!
August 31st, 2009 at 6:14 am
trikebum,
I am curious to know what gives you the idea that I do not follow lane positioning etc while riding a bicycle. Do you live and commute in my neighborhood and see me riding daily? I control the lanes to be visible and safe when it is legally allowed to do so, stop at stop signs, signal before turning, make left turns from the left turn lane etc. I don’t need a bike-ed program to teach me that. The outcome of following these rules have been three attempts of attacks to cause bodily harm making me furiously reconsider my stance against concealed weapons. Therefore vehicular cycling causes a lot more friction in car-centric communities where cycling in not common, making it inconsistent and ineffective.
Moreover, you are mistaking my annoyance to motorists reaction with fear. It is the continuous friction that I am super-saturated with and have no desire to deal with any longer. It is this friction that prevents parents from sending their kids to school on bicycles, bike-ed program or not. This friction is makes vehicular cycling of a lower quality.
I am not surprised at your reaction though. It is a fairly common allegation that vehicular cyclists make against people who comment against it. Its kind of funny to see the ‘mass hysteria’ vehicular cyclists are in. The exponential rise in cyclist numbers over the last forty years in USA is a proof of how popular vehicular cycling has been. In comparison, those silly Dutch and Danes have it all wrong as their numbers are constantly depleting!
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Abhishek, I agree. The friction you identify is exactly the reason why most people don’t cycle in countries like the USA and UK. I was amazed when I read the response above. What’s is the point of criticising someone who has been honest enough to write up the reason why he finds something unattractive ?
Abshishek tried cycling in these conditions while many people don’t even get so far as trying. If conditions for cycling were so irresistable as they are in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany etc. then you’d have the same rates as those countries.
November 25th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
[...] is time to move again. I am changing neighborhoods to a more walkable one. Read the rant here: http://www.sheksfootprint.com/archives/365. This time, I have eliminated the corner book shelf but added a folding dining table, four [...]