Thoughts
There’s been some editorial press lately about cyclists inhabiting the same space as cars. It seems as though hostility towards cyclists comes somewhat from an assumption that we feel we are more entitled to the road than motorists – which may be unfortunately true for some riders. I take no extreme positions on (environmental, sociopolitical, etc.) motivations for cycling, it is simply a passion of mine. Hearing the backlash from those behind the wheel who are so incensed by our presence does bother me. I often wonder this; if I came across a driver while he was pursuing his passion – say… bowling – and berated that person and/or threatened them bodily injury or death, how well would that go over amongst the patrons of the alley? Yet it seems that this diatribe continues – making neither positive nor negative gains on either side. Thoughts?
August 27th, 2009 at 9:06 am
I think one of the reasons is that, despite the amount of cyclists in the city, there are so many people that don’t know why or care about why people are in the streets they are driving. And the only times these motorists are confronted with cycling is when the riders with those “extreme positions” are tying to make their point and are being hostile back to the cars.