I live and ride in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Hampton Roads' commitment to bicycle infrastructure is next to non-existent. Imagine how encouraged I was when I came across this article in the Virginian Pilot about a move afoot in Norfolk to add some bike racks in the downtown area. These artful twists are part of a larger initiative by city planners aimed at "encouraging bike riding as a transportation choice."
It's a small step I know. It's in a city in Hampton Road's that I don't even live in. Non-the-less, it is a step in the right direction.
Showing posts with label Advocacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advocacy. Show all posts
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
My Approach to Bike Advocacy
A couple weeks ago, I blogged about Cyclist and Driver - The Conflict I ended that post by posing the question, "What are we as cyclists going to do to shift this paradigm?"
For me, my bike is becoming more and more a viable mode of transportation. Oh don't get me wrong, I still ride for fitness, sport and recreation.
Yet now, I find myself reaching for my bike to get to:
- work
- the store
- the gym
- church
- the list is growing all the time.
Riding my bike in my community is NOT convenient. Newport News, VA is no where near being labeled a "Bicycle Friendly City". Bike lanes are next to non-existent. The roads are crowded and dangerous. There are more than an insignificant number of drivers who hold to the opinion that bicycles do not belong on the road. Hardly a week goes by that I don't have to take evasive maneuvers to avoid being hit by a careless, distracted and/or inconsiderate driver.
The whole thing becomes frustrating at times. Turning the tide of public opinion and influencing city planners and officials is a daunting task to say the least. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess that I have not actively participated in championing the cause of bicycles in my community. I have taken a more passive approach to bicycle advocacy:
First - I stay off the main roads to the maximum extent practicable. I plan my routes so that they take me on the side streets and through the neighborhoods. Of course, this results in longer routes, but I don't necessarily consider that a bad thing. I like riding. When I'm on my bike, I'm in no particular hurry to get where I'm going. I realize that by not taking the main roads that I am essentially giving motorists what they want and risking further feeding the sentiment that cyclist don't belong. That may be so and while I recognize that I have every bit a right to take those roads as all those motorists do, I am also a realist. Those roads are dangerous, the motorists are at best insensitive and oblivious to cyclists and while physics was not my strong suit in school, I did take enough away to understand that in an accident, an automobile will come out on top every single time.
Secondly - I use bike paths if they are available. The bike paths in this city are next to non-existent and the few that do exist are a joke and further underline just how clueless city officials are with respect to cycling infrastructure. The paths are separate from the road and are essentially widened sidewalks. Therefore, they cross every side street and driveway without being painted or no signs of any sort. Cars invariably pull up and stop right in the way of the bike path. Cars are constantly turning into and out of these side streets. The city seems oblivious to concept of sweeping and therefore the the bike paths are usually littered with debris. Then there are the pedestrians who invariably walk two or three abreast and don't even get me started on those who walk their dogs on leashes with the dreaded telescoping cord. All that being said, if there is a bike path, I ride on it.
Third - I obey ALL traffic regulations (kinda:-). I ride on the right side of the road, I signal my intentions and I stop at traffic lights and stop signs, etc. My motivation here is to send a message to motorists that not all cyclists are reckless, inconsiderate rebels that thumb their nose at the law. The "kinda" is thrown in there because I have been known to ride through a traffic light occasionally, when after one cycle, my piddly amount of metal is unable to signal the light to change. In those cases I look both ways to make sure it is clear and slowly cross the intersection. Furthermore, I am also consistently guilty of rolling stops to avoid unclipping.
Finally - I wave to motorist. When a motorist exiting a sidestreet or driveway allows me to go by instead of pulling out in front of me - I wave. When a motorist making a left turn, waits until I pass instead of turning into me - I wave. When a motorist passes me on my left and gives me ample room instead of crowding or honking at me - I wave. Are these motorist doing anything special? No - they are simply obeying the law. However, I wave - I smile - I mouth the words "thank you" all the same. It's my little way of letting drivers know that I appreciate them noticing me, being considerate of my well being and sharing the road. I'd like to think I'm changing the way motorist view cyclists - one wave at a time!
For me, my bike is becoming more and more a viable mode of transportation. Oh don't get me wrong, I still ride for fitness, sport and recreation.
Yet now, I find myself reaching for my bike to get to:
- work
- the store
- the gym
- church
- the list is growing all the time.
Riding my bike in my community is NOT convenient. Newport News, VA is no where near being labeled a "Bicycle Friendly City". Bike lanes are next to non-existent. The roads are crowded and dangerous. There are more than an insignificant number of drivers who hold to the opinion that bicycles do not belong on the road. Hardly a week goes by that I don't have to take evasive maneuvers to avoid being hit by a careless, distracted and/or inconsiderate driver.
The whole thing becomes frustrating at times. Turning the tide of public opinion and influencing city planners and officials is a daunting task to say the least. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess that I have not actively participated in championing the cause of bicycles in my community. I have taken a more passive approach to bicycle advocacy:
First - I stay off the main roads to the maximum extent practicable. I plan my routes so that they take me on the side streets and through the neighborhoods. Of course, this results in longer routes, but I don't necessarily consider that a bad thing. I like riding. When I'm on my bike, I'm in no particular hurry to get where I'm going. I realize that by not taking the main roads that I am essentially giving motorists what they want and risking further feeding the sentiment that cyclist don't belong. That may be so and while I recognize that I have every bit a right to take those roads as all those motorists do, I am also a realist. Those roads are dangerous, the motorists are at best insensitive and oblivious to cyclists and while physics was not my strong suit in school, I did take enough away to understand that in an accident, an automobile will come out on top every single time.
Secondly - I use bike paths if they are available. The bike paths in this city are next to non-existent and the few that do exist are a joke and further underline just how clueless city officials are with respect to cycling infrastructure. The paths are separate from the road and are essentially widened sidewalks. Therefore, they cross every side street and driveway without being painted or no signs of any sort. Cars invariably pull up and stop right in the way of the bike path. Cars are constantly turning into and out of these side streets. The city seems oblivious to concept of sweeping and therefore the the bike paths are usually littered with debris. Then there are the pedestrians who invariably walk two or three abreast and don't even get me started on those who walk their dogs on leashes with the dreaded telescoping cord. All that being said, if there is a bike path, I ride on it.
Third - I obey ALL traffic regulations (kinda:-). I ride on the right side of the road, I signal my intentions and I stop at traffic lights and stop signs, etc. My motivation here is to send a message to motorists that not all cyclists are reckless, inconsiderate rebels that thumb their nose at the law. The "kinda" is thrown in there because I have been known to ride through a traffic light occasionally, when after one cycle, my piddly amount of metal is unable to signal the light to change. In those cases I look both ways to make sure it is clear and slowly cross the intersection. Furthermore, I am also consistently guilty of rolling stops to avoid unclipping.
Finally - I wave to motorist. When a motorist exiting a sidestreet or driveway allows me to go by instead of pulling out in front of me - I wave. When a motorist making a left turn, waits until I pass instead of turning into me - I wave. When a motorist passes me on my left and gives me ample room instead of crowding or honking at me - I wave. Are these motorist doing anything special? No - they are simply obeying the law. However, I wave - I smile - I mouth the words "thank you" all the same. It's my little way of letting drivers know that I appreciate them noticing me, being considerate of my well being and sharing the road. I'd like to think I'm changing the way motorist view cyclists - one wave at a time!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Car Market King
The Wall Street Journal reports China Passes US as World's Top Car Market.
Personally speaking, that's a race I don't mind us losing. Unfortunately, I suspect that our loss of supremacy in this, less than illustrious, competition, has little to do with the US buying less cars and more likely attributable simply to China buying more.
Upon further consideration, I think this is a competition in which there are no winners - just losers - all the way around.
Personally speaking, that's a race I don't mind us losing. Unfortunately, I suspect that our loss of supremacy in this, less than illustrious, competition, has little to do with the US buying less cars and more likely attributable simply to China buying more.
Upon further consideration, I think this is a competition in which there are no winners - just losers - all the way around.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Cyclist and Drivers - The Conflict
A few years back, I was on a weekday training ride through the neighborhoods. I was tooling along on the right side of the road, when a minivan overtook me and passed a few feet on my left. Just as the rear of the van passed, my peripheral vision caught the tell-tale signs of brake lights. I instinctively grabbed for the brakes and it was a good thing I did, for the van made an abrupt right hand turn into their driveway.
I yelled out "come on!!", stood up, stomped the pedals and continued on my way. Now the street I was traveling on was a dead end, so after another mile or so, I had to make a U-turn and head back the other way. As I passed the spot, where a few minutes before, I almost got ran over, I heard someone yell at me. It was the offending driver's neighbor, a middle-aged man, who just so happened to be sweeping the sidewalk at the time of the incident and witnessed the whole affair.
Now, I have been riding a long time. I've had people yell at me countless times. Normally, I just shake it off and pedal on. However, this particular day, I was still steaming over the reckless disregard the minivan driver showed for my life and well being. I was in no mood to take being painted as the offending party. I spun the bike around, pulled up to where the black man stood on the sidewalk and stopped.
"What did you say?" I ask him.
He responded, "I just wanted you to know, I don't appreciate you yelling at my neighbor like you did earlier!"
"Did you bother noticing", I spat out, "that your neighbor turned right in front of me and practically ran my a$$ over?"
"Yea, but she had the right of way!" He remarked.
"How the H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS do you figure that?" I, less than coolly, retorted.
"Cause" he calmly explained "she's driving a bigger vehicle!!"
It was at this point in the encounter, when I came to the sad realization, that further debate was completely and utterly useless. This guy wasn't being mean or vindictive. He wasn't trying to pick a fight. He wasn't throwing out ludicrous statements for the purpose of stirring me up. NO!! As ridiculous as it sounds, this guy honestly believed it. The really troubling part of this encounter is that this gentleman is not alone in his convictions, but simply verbalized the sentiments of many.
I was reminded of this incident recently as the blogs have been a buzz about a Facebook cyclist hate fan page and the Doctor in LA being sentenced to 5 years for assaulting cyclists.
As the popularity of cycling grows, so does the conflict between cyclists and drivers. Drivers have grown accustomed to reigning supreme on our streets and have drawn the, unsubstantiated by law, conclusion that the roads are for them and them alone.
What are we as cyclists going to do to shift this paradigm?
I yelled out "come on!!", stood up, stomped the pedals and continued on my way. Now the street I was traveling on was a dead end, so after another mile or so, I had to make a U-turn and head back the other way. As I passed the spot, where a few minutes before, I almost got ran over, I heard someone yell at me. It was the offending driver's neighbor, a middle-aged man, who just so happened to be sweeping the sidewalk at the time of the incident and witnessed the whole affair.
Now, I have been riding a long time. I've had people yell at me countless times. Normally, I just shake it off and pedal on. However, this particular day, I was still steaming over the reckless disregard the minivan driver showed for my life and well being. I was in no mood to take being painted as the offending party. I spun the bike around, pulled up to where the black man stood on the sidewalk and stopped.
"What did you say?" I ask him.
He responded, "I just wanted you to know, I don't appreciate you yelling at my neighbor like you did earlier!"
"Did you bother noticing", I spat out, "that your neighbor turned right in front of me and practically ran my a$$ over?"
"Yea, but she had the right of way!" He remarked.
"How the H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS do you figure that?" I, less than coolly, retorted.
"Cause" he calmly explained "she's driving a bigger vehicle!!"
It was at this point in the encounter, when I came to the sad realization, that further debate was completely and utterly useless. This guy wasn't being mean or vindictive. He wasn't trying to pick a fight. He wasn't throwing out ludicrous statements for the purpose of stirring me up. NO!! As ridiculous as it sounds, this guy honestly believed it. The really troubling part of this encounter is that this gentleman is not alone in his convictions, but simply verbalized the sentiments of many.
I was reminded of this incident recently as the blogs have been a buzz about a Facebook cyclist hate fan page and the Doctor in LA being sentenced to 5 years for assaulting cyclists.
As the popularity of cycling grows, so does the conflict between cyclists and drivers. Drivers have grown accustomed to reigning supreme on our streets and have drawn the, unsubstantiated by law, conclusion that the roads are for them and them alone.
What are we as cyclists going to do to shift this paradigm?
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