We’re All Human
The Urban Commuter posted an excellent, thought-provoking article at the beginning of this month on the hows and whys of many accidents involving cyclists (and others):
Cycling London - Urban Commuting by Bike: Average Car Drivers Don’t Intend To…
I was reminded today of this when I was out walking out huge dalmation. A cyclist came bowling along the pavement, scattering the group pedestrians 30 yards or so in front of me. I put my arm out and asked him to move onto the road, and got an over-the-shoulder snippet of abuse.
In the Urban Commuter’s terms, the cyclist represented the Dominant Threat to pedestrians when he was on the pavement - he should have been taking care, and paying attention to the people who had legal priority over him. He wasn’t, and in his actions was another nail in the coffin of cyclists and the rest of the world getting along just fine.
Most of us ride considerately, stop at traffic lights, and wait for the elderly to cross the road in front of us. Even if we are on a training mission and every second counts. It only takes a few jerks like this to either deliberately act invincible and put themselves in the way of their local Dominant Threat (running read lights), or forget that they’re the Dominant Threat in pedestrian areas, to give us all a bad name. The anti-cycling crowd love to tar us all with the same brush, and having one example to hang a name on makes it so much easier.
And that really ticks me off.
On my bike I am always aware of the impression I am leaving on others. I hear people complain about selfish cyclists who only talk about the law (and their right of way) when it serves their purpose and the rest of the time break the law. I never want to contribute to that dialog with my actions. Yet I see other cyclists who make me cringe with their actions. They are in the vast minority, yet they are the one’s who get remembered.
This is an age old dilemma. It only takes a few misguided radicals to give religion a bad name as well, when most religious people are committed to helping others. I’m sure there are many other examples as well.