Bicylists can be road ragers too, it seems
Michael Dresser posted an "interesting" complaint letter from a motorist against a cyclist and Michael's comments were very balanced in response to that letter (his article follows.) I think bicyclists in the Baltimore Metro Area should be appreciative of Michael's understanding of these issues and being able to address these issues in a more mainstream fashion. Michael calls on both motorists and bicyclists for more civility and does a good job of giving the motorist a new framework on how to rethink the issue but fails in my opinion to give cyclists a new framework. So here is my attempt:
The root of the problem: I am right and you are wrong
This goes for both bicyclists and motorists, let me begin with a true story: In a parking lot there were two motorists one pulling out and one pulling into parking spaces. Both proceeded till blocked by the other persons actions, they honked, they cursed and then finally got out of their cars to discuss the issue "rationally." One insisted that the person pulling into a parking space has to yield to the one pulling out. The other person insisted that you can't backup till the area is free of cars so the person pulling in has the right-of-way. And there they sat for 15 minutes with neither one budging and insisting that they are right and the other one is wrong.
This can be easily fixed be replacing "I am right and you are wrong" with LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO DO A RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS. And this goes both for motorists as well as bicyclists.
The two levels of "I am right and you are wrong"
It is important to note that there are two levels to this kind of thinking. The most problematic is where the person's who THINKS they are right reacts to the other persons actions in a negative way, honking or a one finger salute are common reactions and both are wrong. And there is more aggressive behavior of cars swerving across the cyclists path "to teach them a lesson" and such as the cyclist In Michael's post. But there is a subtle lower level that is equally hazardous for bicyclists.
To explain; picture a j-walker standing on the center line and how much care, courtesy, passing space you give them when driving by in your car. Now picture a person lawfully crossing in a crosswalk and.how much care, courtesy, passing space you give them when driving by in your car. If you are like most people you will give more care to the lawful crossing pedestrian then to the unlawful one. And generally no one finds fault in this kind of behavior UNLESS there is a mismatch of "rules" like in my first story.
This mismatch of "rules" is a very real problem bicyclist face as they are given less courtesy by motorists if the motorist "thinks" the cyclist is in the wrong. If we were to poll people in Maryland we would find that people think bicyclists must: ride on the sidewalk, ride against traffic, ride with traffic, ride in the middle of the traffic lane or ride to the far right of the roadway as possible.
I imagine right now people are going "I know which one is right." Stop it! No seriously, stop it. Look for opportunities to be kind and considerate, even to crazy bicyclists or motorists. If you want bicycle advocates to wag their finger at this cyclist we need everyone to focus on their safe and lawful behavior on the roadway and not other people's, enforcement is the job of the police and you can get into a lot of trouble if you try to enforce the laws on your own.
There is little doubt that cyclists feel frustrated and possibly a bit helpless in the onslaught of everyone trying to force what they "think" is right on them and it's all different. My typical response to an aggressive motorist is "If you think I am doing something wrong call the police. If you try to enforce the law on your own, I call the police and you can go to jail."
No arguing what is or is not the accepted rule just a plain statement that you can put another person's life in danger when you act out with your car and there can be serious consequences. This is step one to help a bicyclist feel less helpless and approach conflicts more constructively then a one figure salute. Step two, is the bicycling advocates are working with the State and Baltimore City to improve education and enforcement on ALL sides.
The lack of education and the right turn problem at intersections
Most cyclists know this is a dangerous position to be in, after all who wants to be in a crash like Nathan Krasnopoler? But how do we deal with this problem? Where is the guidance for bicyclists besides just riding far right? So most bicyclists just try to get out of that uncomfortable situation as fast as possible... by running the light. While that is not a good resolution of the problem it is compounded by unlawfully and impatient drivers who refuse to wait behind the bicyclist before making their right turn. Where is the motorists guidance not to do this? No one is fully innocent with this problem.
When the rules are not clear for all road users and how they are supposed to interact, chaos results.
Bicyclists please see: Must read for bike safety
Motorists please see: Turning across bike lane graphics and Bicycle Safety: It's a Two-Way Street
And please everyone, lets look for opportunities to do a random act of kindness. Being on the road has enough junk for everyone to deal with but if we all did something nice for someone else, who knows we could make being in traffic a pleasant thing. - B' Spokes
from Getting There by Michael Dresser:
Bicyclists absolutely have a right to use the roads -- except for those from which they are legally excluded. And Getting There has little sympathy for the drivers who whine that they shouldn't have to share the roads with bicycles because they might have to endure a few seconds of delay. Coexisting with bicycles is a basic driving skill, and drivers who can't do so gracefully ought to turn in their licenses and take the bus.
But every one in a while comes a reminder that there are jerks on bicycles too. That latest comes in an email from Tom Shettle of Timonium:
Sunday, March 20th, at approximately 2:30 PM I was driving north on Roland Avenue and stopped for the traffic signal at Northern Parkway. I was in the right lane. There were four males on bicycles also stopped and facing north. Before the signal changed to green one angelic cyclist started across Northern Parkway. The other cyclist waited for the light.
I tapped my horn to let the one rider know that I saw him cross on a red light. When I was through the intersection and still in the right lane the rider went from the bike lane to the white line separating his lane from mine. I moved to my left and so did he as he came into the automobile lane.
I was not traveling very fast and tapped my horn as I could not give him the three feet clearance required by law. He is now next to my car and in the automobile lane, giving me the finger and asked if I had a problem. This is an adult male. I had three grand children in the car, two with learner’s permits.
The rider then comes around the back of the car and is by my left door and in the left automobile lane. He than gets in front of my car and stays there for a short time before moving into the cycle lane. He dropped back, said a few expletives, and I was around him by now and proceeded north on Roland. I believe the rider wanted me to hit him the way he kept getting closer to my car however I was traveling at a very low speed and had control of the car. I am going to send a copy of this to the Baltimore Bicycling Club and hope they will post it so they will see how some of the riders behave.
I'm pretty sure Mr. Shettle thinks he was entirely in the right, but I have to disagree. His "tap" of the horn was not a good idea. A car horn is there to warn, not admonish or correct, and its should be used only rarely. There's actually a law that says so though it's seldom enforced. (For the record, my contention is that we would be safer with no horns at all.)
In addition, bicyclists are especially sensitive to honking because of the danger of being startled -- with potentially catastrophic results. Drivers simply shouldn't honk at bicyclists as a way of "teaching" them --no matter how valid the lesson. One person's "tap" can be another's blare, so it's best not to get started down this path.
That being said, the bicyclist's conduct in this case -- if Settles' account is accurate -- is appalling. Not only did the bicyclist start off in the wrong by running the light, his behavior was rude and suicidally stupid. Bicyclists who desire the protection of the 3-foot rule had better observe it themselves, and people operating 3-pound vehicles have no business losing their tempers around 3,000-pound vehicles.
Sorry, bicyclists, road rage is not an option for you. If you can't control your temper, get off and walk.
One would hope this bicyclists' companions told him in no uncertain terms they would not ride with him again until he grew up. When one bicyclist in a group starts wagging the middle finger at people in cars and trucks, it endangers the entire group.
Any bicycle advocates disagree? Does anyone think the above-described behavior is jutifiable?
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/traffic/2011/03/bicylists_can_be_road_ragers_t.html
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