*fretfretfretfret*
fictition started voicing his interest a few months ago in riding his bike to work.
There's a long trail he would use which is completely separated from any roads, but he would be using some pretty damn big crosswalks. He rode this route yesterday one way, and it was 17.79 miles. Also, Orlando is not really great for bike commutes anywhere but downtown. There are lots of trails and whatnot to get you where you need to go eventually, but they aren't really all interconnected and still require a lot of circumnavigation.
Also, people in Orlando don't really drive. They just sort of get behind the wheel and make a series of gestures that is a reasonable facsimile of driving, but without any sort of safety concern or awareness of other drivers. I know that shitty drivers exist all over the world, in every city where there is are both humans and cars, but in Orlando there's a certain flavor to our shitty drivers. They aren't just poor when it comes to decision making, or operating the equipment, or understanding the rules of the road, they fail on so many levels that when Nathan first told me of this plan I had a mini-stroke and begged him not to do it. I've seen people texting, reading, listening to headphones, fooling with something in the passenger seat with both hands off the wheel, turned around completely and fooling with stuff in the backseat, and just plain drinking beer or smoking pot in the open. And those are the people who are just inconsiderate and self-centered. The others, who when in a traffic jam simply drive on the median, or on the sidewalk, or across three lanes of traffic to make their turn, are aggressively stupid. I don't know what it is about this place, but really stupid drivers seem to flourish here. Perhaps in other places, with real weather that causes difficult conditions or real topography that means you can't just zone out, people are assholes in completely different ways. I just don't know. But here, being an asshole driver means that as far as you and your Escalade are concerned, no one else exists and if they do that's their problem, not yours.
He's since found a hybrid route--he'll drive through the really rough part, park at a trailhead, and ride through the relatively sedate remainder to his work. This doesn't really set me at ease either, but I also recognize when I try to exercise control over all aspects of my life and the misery it causes others, so I am dealing. I woke up at 5AM and just pretended to sleep, all the way up to now.
He left at 7, and just texted me that he made it, so I am relieved until he leaves for work. Then I will probably crawl into the empty bathtub and lay weeping and waiting for the police to call me to to identify the body, because I can't help but be a pessimist sometimes. But for now, I will focus on doing errands, writing, and figuring out a tasty and nutritious dinner to make for when Nathan gets home, and perhaps by then I will feel better about this whole thing. Here's to hoping.
There's a long trail he would use which is completely separated from any roads, but he would be using some pretty damn big crosswalks. He rode this route yesterday one way, and it was 17.79 miles. Also, Orlando is not really great for bike commutes anywhere but downtown. There are lots of trails and whatnot to get you where you need to go eventually, but they aren't really all interconnected and still require a lot of circumnavigation.
Also, people in Orlando don't really drive. They just sort of get behind the wheel and make a series of gestures that is a reasonable facsimile of driving, but without any sort of safety concern or awareness of other drivers. I know that shitty drivers exist all over the world, in every city where there is are both humans and cars, but in Orlando there's a certain flavor to our shitty drivers. They aren't just poor when it comes to decision making, or operating the equipment, or understanding the rules of the road, they fail on so many levels that when Nathan first told me of this plan I had a mini-stroke and begged him not to do it. I've seen people texting, reading, listening to headphones, fooling with something in the passenger seat with both hands off the wheel, turned around completely and fooling with stuff in the backseat, and just plain drinking beer or smoking pot in the open. And those are the people who are just inconsiderate and self-centered. The others, who when in a traffic jam simply drive on the median, or on the sidewalk, or across three lanes of traffic to make their turn, are aggressively stupid. I don't know what it is about this place, but really stupid drivers seem to flourish here. Perhaps in other places, with real weather that causes difficult conditions or real topography that means you can't just zone out, people are assholes in completely different ways. I just don't know. But here, being an asshole driver means that as far as you and your Escalade are concerned, no one else exists and if they do that's their problem, not yours.
He's since found a hybrid route--he'll drive through the really rough part, park at a trailhead, and ride through the relatively sedate remainder to his work. This doesn't really set me at ease either, but I also recognize when I try to exercise control over all aspects of my life and the misery it causes others, so I am dealing. I woke up at 5AM and just pretended to sleep, all the way up to now.
He left at 7, and just texted me that he made it, so I am relieved until he leaves for work. Then I will probably crawl into the empty bathtub and lay weeping and waiting for the police to call me to to identify the body, because I can't help but be a pessimist sometimes. But for now, I will focus on doing errands, writing, and figuring out a tasty and nutritious dinner to make for when Nathan gets home, and perhaps by then I will feel better about this whole thing. Here's to hoping.