BTW - Day 4
I knew posting the last entry would be an unpopular view of things, but I guess that's what journals are for. I'm neither stating that I think my opinions are right or wrong. They are just that, opinions based on my personal experiences and I thought I'd get it out of the way early on.
The idea behind this month long journal was really to explore my thoughts on cycling and cycling culture as I see it. Hopefully I'll learn some things by writing it down, maybe change some of my views, solidify some ideas, and more than anything, open it up to discussion with people that disagree with me.
Re-reading what I posted, I did come off pretty self-righteous. That wasn't the intention. I've got a lot of respect for anyone willing to get on a bike for whatever reason.
I don't want you guys to think that I'm completely irresponsible on a bike. I'm aware that, while I'm a non-lethal vehicle, I can still cause damage. Veering into a car's path could cause an accident if the car has to swerve to keep from hitting me, and plowing a bike into a pedestrian at 15mph can cause some serious injuries.
While I take risks, I try my best to not impact anyone else's safety. I don't weave through pedestrians at crosswalks, I never force another cyclist out of the way, I only hop in and out of traffic if I've got the space. I ride responsibly if I'm on a sidewalk. I always signal and I always remain hyper-aware of what's going on around me.
I like to ride fast, push myself physically, run the occasional stop sign or red light, and split lanes, but I understand that this isn't some sort of alleycat race, and just like everyone else, I'd like to make it home in one piece.
I am not going to try and justify breaking the law. Traffic laws are important, and it's probably a good thing that most cyclists adhere to them. If everyone ran stop signs/lights we'd have complete chaos here, and it would look a lot like a NYC street. I appreciate the generally friendly streets we have here. I'm not going to say that I have some sort of right to break them, even though I still do. I see a lot of people trying to justify the behavior. I'm simply trying to explain it, I guess.
I'm also not going to condemn ever driver. In trying to focus in on a particular type of driver, I kind of generalized all drivers into a single category. I always wave to drivers who stop and give me the right of way. Drivers who look before pulling out into traffic are saints in my book. While part of cycling for me is about being green, I'm not a hardcore "One Less Car" sort of person. I'd like to see more people get out of their cars, but I don't hate everyone on the road.
On the subject of giving cyclists a bad name, there's a pretty wide chasm between the more respectable cyclists, and the "bike punk" types in this city. The differences are visible in characteristics and just plain style. And most drivers are aware of those differences. I don't get much respect from the other end the cycling community regardless of how I ride and I'm okay with that. Again, not a justification, simply an opinion.
The idea behind this month long journal was really to explore my thoughts on cycling and cycling culture as I see it. Hopefully I'll learn some things by writing it down, maybe change some of my views, solidify some ideas, and more than anything, open it up to discussion with people that disagree with me.
Re-reading what I posted, I did come off pretty self-righteous. That wasn't the intention. I've got a lot of respect for anyone willing to get on a bike for whatever reason.
I don't want you guys to think that I'm completely irresponsible on a bike. I'm aware that, while I'm a non-lethal vehicle, I can still cause damage. Veering into a car's path could cause an accident if the car has to swerve to keep from hitting me, and plowing a bike into a pedestrian at 15mph can cause some serious injuries.
While I take risks, I try my best to not impact anyone else's safety. I don't weave through pedestrians at crosswalks, I never force another cyclist out of the way, I only hop in and out of traffic if I've got the space. I ride responsibly if I'm on a sidewalk. I always signal and I always remain hyper-aware of what's going on around me.
I like to ride fast, push myself physically, run the occasional stop sign or red light, and split lanes, but I understand that this isn't some sort of alleycat race, and just like everyone else, I'd like to make it home in one piece.
I am not going to try and justify breaking the law. Traffic laws are important, and it's probably a good thing that most cyclists adhere to them. If everyone ran stop signs/lights we'd have complete chaos here, and it would look a lot like a NYC street. I appreciate the generally friendly streets we have here. I'm not going to say that I have some sort of right to break them, even though I still do. I see a lot of people trying to justify the behavior. I'm simply trying to explain it, I guess.
I'm also not going to condemn ever driver. In trying to focus in on a particular type of driver, I kind of generalized all drivers into a single category. I always wave to drivers who stop and give me the right of way. Drivers who look before pulling out into traffic are saints in my book. While part of cycling for me is about being green, I'm not a hardcore "One Less Car" sort of person. I'd like to see more people get out of their cars, but I don't hate everyone on the road.
On the subject of giving cyclists a bad name, there's a pretty wide chasm between the more respectable cyclists, and the "bike punk" types in this city. The differences are visible in characteristics and just plain style. And most drivers are aware of those differences. I don't get much respect from the other end the cycling community regardless of how I ride and I'm okay with that. Again, not a justification, simply an opinion.