Love Me Tender: I’m a Cyclist, Let Me Ride (Safely)

Acts of aggression towards cyclists have grown in number and severity. With the push for greener means of transport and the introduction of more bicycles in large cities, there have also been more incidents of road rage, assault (both verbal and physical) and bodily harm by accident, with bikers as victims.

This is not a “woe is me” piece, though it may have started like it. To be perfectly clear, cyclists can be major a-holes so it’s not like some of the hatred shown against them is not somehow justified. Because they’re smaller and faster, they’re more prone to breaking the rules – running lights, swishing between pedestrians, showing aggressive behavior when they’re called on their own BS, and even resorting to causing damage to vehicles as retaliation. Because they’re not registered and don’t have any distinctive, visible means of identification, many seem to act under the rule of “if they can’t track me, I can do as I please.”

Motorists can be douchebags, as well. This isn’t about assigning blame, but rather a discussion on respect – or lack thereof.

Years ago, more on a dare than out of an actual need to move around town quicker, I finally learned how to ride a bike. To this day, I remain far from being an experienced rider: I have neither the time nor the physical inclination for performance in this field. But I do love to ride and would probably do it more often if I felt like there was a place for me – and other cyclists like myself – out there in the urban landscape.

Like the aforementioned Australian study highlighted, cyclists are neither here nor there when it comes to where they belong, with the only exception being those areas where there are clearly defined bicycle paths. If they dare to ride in the street, even if they follow the rules, chances are someone will cut in front of them or simply run them off the road. If they mount the pavement, thinking it would be safer, they’re in for another world of trouble from angry pedestrians, who seem to think cyclists’ place is in the street.

This feeling that they’re not welcome fuels rage: motorists and pedestrians don’t want cyclists on the street and on pavements, respectively, and let them know it. This adds to bikers’ frustration and rage, and leads to violent outbursts, which, in turn, justify even more hatred towards them by over-generalization. And in the end, we’re left with sweeping generalizations like all cyclists are bad and all motorists are awful, and no one wins.

I may not be the most skilled, fastest or strongest cyclist (lol, of course I’m not!), but I am correct. I ride responsibly, with protective gear and lights, without speeding or running lights, or breaking the law. If I cycle on the pavement, I dismount at crossings and always make sure I ride on the outer side of the pavement.

With all that, I still got banged up several times in traffic. I got hit by a car (the driver “didn’t see me” in front of his vehicle) and got pulled down by angry pedestrians who thought I should be riding in the street. These instances only added to the impression that cyclists are not wanted.

We’re not going to discuss here how bikes are greener, healthier, sometimes better choices than cars, because that may not always be the case. But they are viable options for getting around busy cities and we are entitled to our choices – as long as we play by the rules as everyone else.

Mutual respect is the obvious solution for this particular traffic-related problem, the road rage incidents between cyclists and motorists and the overall negative attitude towards bikers. We only have to see that, in order to put it into practice.

So there, respect thy fellow cyclist.