the daily snivel
You think you're so smart, but I've seen you naked...
[UPDATED June 14, 2006 with a photograph of my bike from a happier time]
A bit of explanation about the most recent misanthropic philosophy of the week, before I get a lot of e-mail about it.
I am a cyclist, or rather I am a cyclist when mystupid beloved shiny red bicycle is not busted. Which is currently is. And I don't have $200 for a new wheel and new gears right now. But I am nevertheless someone who loves the freedom of riding a bike from the time the frozen city thaws until the frost is on the ground again. I love not having to wait (let alone pay for) the bus, with all the attendant running for the bus as the cackling driver zooms away, being stuck in traffic on a scorching hot day without air conditioning, idiots who don't open the window anyway... etc. You get the point. Simply not having to ride the bus is a joyful enough reason for me to loooove my bike. Plus there's the health benefits, the fresh air, and even (dare we say) the saucy exhibitionism of biking shorts. It's grand. It's brilliant.
So when my boiling rage froths over the side, and spills onto those cyclists who hog up the sidewalks, zipping past pedestrians without any warning, possibly whilst headphones are stuck into their ears, I say it as someone who has been there but knows better.
I mean, OK, I don't think it's possible to always avoid sidewalks -- there are just some streets that even in the best conditions have too much traffic and insane drivers. I understand that. I don't live in Toronto anymore (praise Jeebus), and I do hear some awful things about the cycling in that town. I live in Ottawa's New Edinburgh neighbourhood, with river-side bicycle paths and two good bicycle lanes running each way over the St. Patrick Street bridge on the way into the Byward market or downtown. Even so, part of being a good rider is learning how to get onto the road and deal with traffic.
Here's why: first, it's actually safer to ride on the road. Cyclists are much more likely to have accidents on sidewalks and even bicycle paths, because those routes have lots of other people moving about, almost at random, like the players on an electric football table. I mean, we're talking old people and children here. People walking their dogs. Rollerbladers. Anything could happen. Even though more injuries occur to cyclists from injuries that take place on the roadway, fewer of those injuries involve a collision with a car than another source (30.6% vs. 38%). And more pedestrians are injured by collisions with cyclists (or rollerbladers) than cars. Most accidents take place at intersections, as opposed to the novice fear (in which I have shared) of being overtaken from behind by traffic. But even intersection accidents seem more likely to have occurred because the cyclist is coming off a path onto the road or, more commonly, is on the sidwalk and proceeds through an intersection at a crosswalk.
Second, cycling is most dangerous when cyclists ignore the rules of the road. This necessarily includes being on the sidewalk, but also includes ignoring stop signs, traffic lights, turning signals, and riding on the wrong side of the street. This makes the cyclist very unpredictable for motorists (ie. the "he came out of nowhere!" syndrome) and increases the risk of an accident. Provided here is a great description of the most common and serious cyclist errors resulting in injury or death, and how to avoid them. A frequent cause of these accidents occurs when a cyclist is on the sidewalk, out of the motorist's view, and does something unexpected and possibly against the traffic laws.
It's very jarring to be walking only to have a cyclist whip past without warning. An unexpected move by a pedestrian could result in a collision. At the very least, it's polite to signal your intent to pass with a bell before overtaking a pedestrian on a bicycle path (you shouldn't, again, be on the sidewalk). I've had to defend somebody after he rode on the sidewalk and got into an accident, and you'd be amazed how hard it is to sell even the most brilliant legal defence when it's clear the cyclist had no right to be there, and the victim had a cracked skull.
Finally, take the damn headphones out of your ears when riding. I've written about this before. It's even a significant factor in your Morbid Stupidity Index. I recently tried to be tolerant of this behaviour because someone I was smitten with quite enjoyed doing so, but even soft, naked boobies (and, oh, I still think about those boobies sometimes) can't change the fact that it's egregiously dumb. Dumb dumb dumb. You can't hear anything, the music is distracting, and everybody hates it when their favourite song is interrupted by pain and bleeding.
So knock it off, ya bozos.
Comments:A bit of explanation about the most recent misanthropic philosophy of the week, before I get a lot of e-mail about it.
I am a cyclist, or rather I am a cyclist when my
So when my boiling rage froths over the side, and spills onto those cyclists who hog up the sidewalks, zipping past pedestrians without any warning, possibly whilst headphones are stuck into their ears, I say it as someone who has been there but knows better.
I mean, OK, I don't think it's possible to always avoid sidewalks -- there are just some streets that even in the best conditions have too much traffic and insane drivers. I understand that. I don't live in Toronto anymore (praise Jeebus), and I do hear some awful things about the cycling in that town. I live in Ottawa's New Edinburgh neighbourhood, with river-side bicycle paths and two good bicycle lanes running each way over the St. Patrick Street bridge on the way into the Byward market or downtown. Even so, part of being a good rider is learning how to get onto the road and deal with traffic.
Here's why: first, it's actually safer to ride on the road. Cyclists are much more likely to have accidents on sidewalks and even bicycle paths, because those routes have lots of other people moving about, almost at random, like the players on an electric football table. I mean, we're talking old people and children here. People walking their dogs. Rollerbladers. Anything could happen. Even though more injuries occur to cyclists from injuries that take place on the roadway, fewer of those injuries involve a collision with a car than another source (30.6% vs. 38%). And more pedestrians are injured by collisions with cyclists (or rollerbladers) than cars. Most accidents take place at intersections, as opposed to the novice fear (in which I have shared) of being overtaken from behind by traffic. But even intersection accidents seem more likely to have occurred because the cyclist is coming off a path onto the road or, more commonly, is on the sidwalk and proceeds through an intersection at a crosswalk.
Second, cycling is most dangerous when cyclists ignore the rules of the road. This necessarily includes being on the sidewalk, but also includes ignoring stop signs, traffic lights, turning signals, and riding on the wrong side of the street. This makes the cyclist very unpredictable for motorists (ie. the "he came out of nowhere!" syndrome) and increases the risk of an accident. Provided here is a great description of the most common and serious cyclist errors resulting in injury or death, and how to avoid them. A frequent cause of these accidents occurs when a cyclist is on the sidewalk, out of the motorist's view, and does something unexpected and possibly against the traffic laws.
It's very jarring to be walking only to have a cyclist whip past without warning. An unexpected move by a pedestrian could result in a collision. At the very least, it's polite to signal your intent to pass with a bell before overtaking a pedestrian on a bicycle path (you shouldn't, again, be on the sidewalk). I've had to defend somebody after he rode on the sidewalk and got into an accident, and you'd be amazed how hard it is to sell even the most brilliant legal defence when it's clear the cyclist had no right to be there, and the victim had a cracked skull.
Finally, take the damn headphones out of your ears when riding. I've written about this before. It's even a significant factor in your Morbid Stupidity Index. I recently tried to be tolerant of this behaviour because someone I was smitten with quite enjoyed doing so, but even soft, naked boobies (and, oh, I still think about those boobies sometimes) can't change the fact that it's egregiously dumb. Dumb dumb dumb. You can't hear anything, the music is distracting, and everybody hates it when their favourite song is interrupted by pain and bleeding.
So knock it off, ya bozos.
