With the recent killing of a cyclist near my house, there
have been numerous comments on the local news sites and social media blaming
one side or the other without details. Of course being a cyclist and spending enough
hours every week riding these same roads for it to basically be a part-time job
I feel compelled to speak up. I also drive to and from school/work everyday so
I see both sides of the story. I will try and represent an unbiased argument as
best I can here that will hopefully lead to more awareness on the roads for
those that read it and think about it. Just know that for both sides there are
good and very bad drivers and riders. I will tackle many points that people
bring up. I am open-minded to this, so if you have any logical points or
suggestions please let me hear them. I want you to look at both sides of the
picture though for your argument first, so that people know you have actually
thought it through.
First point -
cyclists move too slowly on high-speed roads. So the primary thing to note
here is that no cyclist actually wants to be riding on a busy road, we dislike
cars as much as you dislike bikes, mainly for safety reasons. So don’t be
shocked that when you take the back roads and are speeding to avoid the traffic
on major routes to find cyclists. Secondly on this point, please let me know
how you handle slow moving tractors, or school buses that stop every couple
hundred meters. I haven’t seen a car try to run either of those off the road.
The obvious answer is because you are smaller than both of those vehicles so you
know you can’t win that battle. But a bike would just be a little scratch on
your bumper so no harm to you right? Also on this point is the idea that
cyclists ride two abreast, which will slow you down even more. The fact that it
slows you down is good for the safety of the cyclist because then you have to
wait until it is safe to pass. Sometimes cyclist lose their focus and ride down
the middle of the road, and I’ll be damned if any driver can say they haven’t
done that themselves on an empty country road. If you approach a group like
that, a simple tap of the horn to let them know you are there will suffice. The
cyclists will happily move over and let you by. Now if you meet them with rage
you might get a different response. But that happens anytime you want someone
to do something. If you go in yelling they will be less likely to do it than if
you had politely asked.
Second point –
cyclists don’t obey the rules of the road. Here I will take a neutral side.
I know many riders that are on both sides of this argument. I agree with many
drivers that some cyclists do things that are very dangerous, and if they get
hit it is their fault entirely. Also the driver does not deserve to have that
on their conscience for a cyclist’s ignorance. But remember, not all cyclists
are like that. Say you saw a tattooed man on the news reported for killing
(huge stereotype here), does that mean that every man with tattoos should be
locked up because they are bound to commit a crime? Of course not! Same with
cyclists, you don’t run one off the road because earlier you came across one
that was riding in a way you didn’t like. The final argument I would like to
make on this point is to please look at the way you drive. I can put a million
dollars on the fact that you probably break the rules of the road each and
every time you get behind the wheel, whether it be a rolling stop or speeding.
Third point - this
is a continuation on the last point to do with a rolling stop. For cars it is more obvious because you have to slow
down much more because you were travelling at a higher speed. I know some
cyclists, and I have been guilty of this myself, have completely run a stop
sign. I never do this however when other cars are around because I don’t want
to put my life in excess danger. But just know when we slow down to approach a
stop sign; we get to about the same speed that you do in your rolling stop. The
last comment I want to make is that many drivers want to see a cyclist stop and
put their foot down at the intersections. That would be the equivalent to you
putting your car in ‘park’ every time you get to a stop sign or stop light.
Sounds pretty ridiculous right?
The final point I
want to make is that cyclists don’t pay for the roads. This is brought up
all the time. You are completely right, we don’t. Let’s just say we did have to
insure and register our bikes, the costs would be less for obvious reasons.
Drivers still wouldn’t be happy because we don’t pay as much. I’d be all for
registering our bikes if it would make the drivers happy but I don’t see it
helping. Secondly, 200lbs of cyclist (with bike and everything else they might
have on them) will do no damage to the roads. This is part of what cars have to
pay for, the costs of repairing the roads due to driving very heavy vehicles on
them all the time. This creates cracks and other road damage. Now the next
logical argument is that, if cars weren’t around then nobody would be paying
for the roads that you like to ride on. That is absolutely correct. I will
counter this with the fact that every cyclist I know also owns a car, so don’t
worry they are paying just as much as you are.
In the past I have had firecrackers and water bottles thrown
at me. I have had people yell and swear at me, and try to run me off the road.
Some people will speed by me then pull over to the gravel shoulder and spin
their tires to fill the air with dust. While none of these scenarios is ever
warranted, I did absolutely nothing to deserve them. I was riding on the right
side of the road, with no one coming in the opposite direction, so they had no
issues with passing. If I did something wrong, I am willing to accept the
consequences. I am not so inclined to accept this punishment for things I
haven’t done. I risk my life every day because people feel safe in their steel
box. How come no one has ever gotten out of it to fight me? Surely you could
easily take on a 170lb cyclist. It’s because as soon as you get out of your car
and face me, I become a person again, not just a cyclist. I am humanized, and humans
do not like to hurt their own. When they do, it’s because they somehow
justified it by saying the person is lower than them for whatever reason, and
does not deserve their respect.
In conclusion, yes cyclists can be at fault and some really
need to brush up on their road skills. Also many drivers need to learn some
patience and pay attention to what you are doing. I don’t care how you look at
it, if you did something that lead to the killing of someone on the street
whether it is a pedestrian or cyclist that is murder. Just remember we are all
people out there. We all have families; we all have a place to be at the end of
the day.
