America's #1 Balance Bike Destination

America's #1 Balance Bike Destination
America's #1 Balance Bike Destination

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Commuting by Bike: Hazardous to your mental health (?)

Yesterday, I decided to punish myself with a bike commute to and from work. I use the word "punish" because I've been quite a sissy-boy in the "cold weather riding" department. Resolving to ride the fixed gear bike to work 2-3 times a week, all winter long, I decided to pick one of the nastier days as a way to "break myself in". "Future rides to work won't seem as bad" I reasoned.. Well.. aside from a quick fall on black ice, my ride to work was quite enjoyable, all 9 miles of it. The ride home.. a different story.. It wasn't the darkness that ruined it, it wasn't the cold wind or the damp drizzle or the slick roads.. It was the people who I shared the road with. Quittin' time does something to New Englanders I think. Getting home seems to be a bigger urgency than getting to work, that's for damn sure. 
A motorist driving an enormous pick up truck- the kind with four rear wheels and four doors- thoughtfully slowed to my pace, lowered his window, wagged his finger and yelled at me to "GET ON THE SIDEWALK!". On at least three other occasions, motorists blared their horns at me, and then once they could get past me, gunned the throttle while shaking their heads in disapproval. I can't read their moving lips too well, but their "body language" makes it pretty clear that feathering their brakes for a few seconds while basking in the warmth and comfort of their car, in order to avoid pasting the road with my shivering body parts, , is not appreciated.. at all.
Mentally, it really takes the wind out of your sails. You know you're doing something good for the body, for the mind and even for the environment, but those who can't afford to be delayed for 5 seconds by a human life perched precariously on top of a 20 pound machine going 20 miles an hour through the darkness on top of frozen asphalt, really make it hard to be optimistic about anything to do with PEOPLE. Enough said.
If you're a motorist and encounter a person riding a bicycle on the road, try something new: YIELD deliberately- give way- wave them through- let them pass before you make your turn. I PROMISE you that the cyclist will respond to you with a wave and a smile, or otherwise go out of their way to express thanks. If they don't, caulk it up as a rare exception- friendly motorists are so rare these days that sometimes an act of kindness is met with shock or disbelief. Have faith. WE still do.. or else we'd give up on this bike cummuting thing entirely.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

did you have light?

IMA said...

Certainly! One big front light, one big red blinky on the seatpost, plus a Frog light blinky and red reflector. Also a front white reflector, reflective booties and reflectors on both wheels! I looked like an amusement park!

nhrider said...

We should be able to hit their mirrors and break them as they go by when they do things like that!!!

Anonymous said...

what road you riding on? i'm going to avoid that route.

nhrider said...

Who am I kidding. I am to much of a wimp to do that when I ride alone. Someone might use that vehicle to do more damage to me....

Colin R said...

Spending your life in a car: Even more hazardous to your mental health.

I've never had a consistent problem with motorists commuting. Maybe one incident per month -- so I'm thinking that you're doing something differently.

Are you riding on busy roads? Is there no shoulder? Is the shoulder full of ice and snow so you can't use it? Basically, are you IN THE DAMN WAY? Your usage of the phrase "once they could get past me" makes me think you probably are.

You can cite the legality of your right to the road, but the practicality of the matter is that obstructing motorists with your bike is going to make a lot of people who are already edgy from driving in traffic angrier. If you have to block traffic as a rule, not an exception, then you need to reevaluate your route.

You can try to get everyone the roads to make peace with each other -- or you can try to fit into the chaos as seamlessly as possible. The latter is much easier.

IMA said...

Big crank: I take Jefferson Road from the RI Indoor Sports Center area all the way to Route 113, where I turn right and go all the way to Route 2. Since there was black ice on Monday, I took Route 2 South to 115 and took a right turn, whch basically takes me home to West Warwick. Crowded busy roads. The streth of Route 113 where it crosses over I-95 is the hairiest because of the ramps..

Colin I commute all season long- March thru October, and I've never had such problems as this. The only real difference is that it's night time. Yes the roads are super busy at 5:00 pm. Is there any place where they're not busy at that hour? I think motorists are just plain freaked out by a bicyclist all bundled up in the freezing cold, at night especially. As I said, I had no such problems in the morning ride TO work. People appear 1/2 asleep and the ones who take notice of me look at me with pity.. as if I have no choice or something.