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The Well-Tempered Cyclist

Mar 4th 2009

By: Jack "Ghost Rider" Sweeney

18 comments

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My friend Ken Sturrock turned me on to a well-written essay over at the excellent online/print magazine Momentum…in the essay, author Deb Greco describes her evolution from hotheaded badass to a more “well-tempered cyclist”.

What motorists have always suspected is true: When I get on my bike, a switch goes off and consideration for anyone else ceases to exist. Each morning, amped on fresh air and adrenaline, I fly downhill on San Francisco’s Market Street and head for the Financial District. My goal is simple: to make it to work without stopping – or at least not long enough for my feet to touch the ground.

This is how I recently found myself in the middle of an intersection before the light had turned green, when a MUNI bus came barrelling through despite a good solid red overhead. I only avoided a crash by turning in the direction the bus was travelling in; it came so close, I felt the kiss of steel along the length of my right side. The bus driver slammed on his brakes, stuck his head out his side window, looked me right in the terrified eye, and yelled, “A…”

To read the rest of the essay, please visit Momentum Planet.

This essay really resonated with me — especially because I’m steadily evolving into a more well-tempered cyclist. There were many times in the past when I was quick on the draw with a middle finger and a shouted curseword, and I made a commitment to change after spending a lot of cycling time with my good friend Alan Snel. Alan, a consummate cycling advocate, showed me that a thumbs-up, a friendly wave or any other positive acknowledgment of the motorists around us does far more to help our fellow two-wheelers than any shouting match, obscene gesture or physical confrontation ever could. Alan claims to have transformed several streets in our area into a far more bike-friendly atmosphere by simple acts like throwing the peace sign at every car that passes by, and by God — I think he’s right!

I’ve got a way to go, but Deb’s essay gives me encouragement to continue my evolution towards calmness and friendliness out on the roads.

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- Stuart M.
  
  March 4th, 2009 at 22:20
  
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  Okay, here comes the violin music… Anyone who risks his/her life (or the lives of others) by riding like a crazy nut or getting into a shouting match with a busdriver should watch the movie that recently won the Oscar for best foreign film, “Departures.” The pain and suffering of the families and friends of those who are needlessly killed, commit suicide or die before they can be told how much they are loved is captured by that movie. Why do some bicyclists intentionally ride like they have a death wish? Kindness and civility should control all our dealing with others, whether they are in traffic or not. It’s just common sense.
- Karen
  
  March 4th, 2009 at 23:39
  
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  I read the Momentum article this week and really agree. I really try to share the road respectfully both as a bike commuter and a driver. Either way, sometimes “it” is just your own fault for not paying attention or just not being able to see everything going on around you. When I bike to and from work I try to smile and nod pleasantly when I’m going through the green light and signal to let people know what I’m planning. To try and get in a shouting match or exchange obscene gestures with a nut behind the wheel of a much heavier car is so counter productive and who is more likely to get hurt?
- Mike Myers
  
  March 5th, 2009 at 00:12
  
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  I read the Momentum article—-is the writer nuts? She actually didn’t stop for stop signs?
  
  Part of being a responsible cyclist is following the rules of the road AS IF ONE WAS A VEHICLE. I’ve read Forester, and when I’m on the road I expect to be treated like I’m a tractor or a horse-drawn buggy.
  
  That being said, I have no problem letting a motorist know my displeasure with his actions. I’m hot tempered and paranoid, but being run over will do that.
- jhaygood
  
  March 5th, 2009 at 00:29
  
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  Exactly. When I’m out there I signal, I make eye contact, I wave to drivers when they cut me slack in one way or another (which they usually do). I really feel most drivers are looking out for us (when they see us) and usually just want to know what I’m going to do. It’s like they cross paths with so many bikers that just disregard anyone else on the road that they are overly cautious. I come to a stop sign and they just assume I’m going to run it (which I do if there aren’t cars there).
  
  So I agree, reward good behavior when you come across it.
- Raiyn
  
  March 5th, 2009 at 02:38
  
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  I’m not so nice. I had an incident on Central Ave here in St. Pete in which some recently retired dip**** upstate New Yakker (early to mid 60′s male w/ NY plates & a Bills license plate frame) in a small white SUV thought it would be a great idea to blast his horn at me and my girlfriend because we were riding along at 2 mph under the 20mph speed limit. He passed (way too close) with his horn blaring so that he could race ahead to the (already) red light. Needless to say, he didn’t get a bloody peace sign from me as we sat directly behind him at the light. Stinking moronic snow birds.
  On the other hand, most of the time the downtown regulars here are really good about giving us enough space and not blasting their horns (though they need to learn to stop zipping ahead in order to turn right or jump into a parking spot).
- Ghost Rider
  
  March 5th, 2009 at 04:18
  
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  If a motorist does something truly moronic or engages in behavior that is seriously risking my safety, I’ll “let it fly” with both barrels — I’ll be damned if those folks get a friendly wave!
  
  Likewise, getting mad as a reaction to something YOU did that was stupid (nearly getting clipped after blowing through a red light, for example) means you really don’t deserve a bicycle…
  
  Spreading the friendliness like my friend Alan does doesn’t just come as a response to good behaviors from motorists — rather, he waves and throws the peace sign at virtually every car he sees. The point is that we have to remind motorists that we are living, breathing HUMANS, not obstacles to be avoided.
- BlackBear
  
  March 5th, 2009 at 05:54
  
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  GR, your buddy must be a heck of a cyclist. Even here in the friendly small town south, I need both hands to navigate careless and distracted traffic.
  
  That being said, the group most likely to draw my ire are other cyclists, not motorists. Motorists I EXPECT not to know anything at all about sharing the road, right of way, etc. But I figure that cyclists should recognize the danger they could be in sharing the road with cars and should at least know what side of the road to ride on! THOSE idiots will get a sharp word from me every time… not only are they endangering me by barreling down on me, but themselves and every driver on the road!
- Mike C
  
  March 5th, 2009 at 06:55
  
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  In my old home town, there was a guy who was not quite right–lived in the woods, got around by bike, truly believed in a couple of far-fetched conspiracies… OK, maybe he was one of the more sane among us, but did not fit in with the norm… Anyway, while riding around on his old 10sp with apehangers(!), he would always wave, with a big grin on his face at anyone who said anything to him from a car, good or bad, same thing if people honked at him. He was a good rider, obeyed the rules of the road. And seemed to emmanate this love of cycling and his fellow road users that was totally infectious.
  
  As hard as it can be with all the morons on the road, I take a cue from him while cycling and try to spread the love. I fail a lot, but there’s nothing like a big smile and friendly wave to disarm and sometimes really confuse all the haterz out there.
- Ghost Rider
  
  March 5th, 2009 at 07:36
  
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  BlackBear — my friend IS a hell of a cyclist. 20K miles a year, multiple cross-U.S. trips under his belt. The guy is a MACHINE, and he’s friendly to a fault.
  
  I’m right there with you that my hackles rise when I see cyclists doing stupid stuff. Granted, I’ve run my share of stop signs and red lights, but never when cars are coming (and rarely when anyone is around). I think it was Raiyn who described these people as “bike riders”, not “cyclists” (the distinction being that a cyclist knows how to behave on the roads, whereas a “bike rider” doesn’t know and doesn’t care) — and they help give the rest of us a bad name!
- Iron Man
  
  March 5th, 2009 at 08:07
  
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  One reason I think it behooves us to be polite is that we are likely quite recognizable to the motorists on the road. Think about it. People are creatures of habit. I’d bet most drivers you encounter on your commute are the same drivers day in day out. You are on the same stretch of roadway at roughly the same point in time each morning or evening, and the same goes for them. You likely have a relationship with them and don’t even know it.
  
  To you they are just one of many cars passing and hard to keep straight. To them you are one of a handful of cyclists (depending on the city) that they encounter in their commute. Bigger cities perhaps not so much, but towns of 3000,000 or so maybe. They pretty well recognize you I’d bet. Your clothes may change daily, but they might recognize your jacket, packs, messenger bag, etc. The last thing I want them to be saying is “Great, here’s that &*%$ biker again. This’ll teach him not to do _____ again.” If you are consistent in observance of the law (especially lights and stop signs), intentional in your movements, and polite to other road users, you may get more goodwill than you’d imagine.
- Paul
  
  March 5th, 2009 at 11:55
  
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  Two things I’ve learned that have helped to keep me an alive and avid cyclist:
  
  Stopping isn’t bad. Slowing down isn’t bad. They’re both chances to work on your sprinting.
  
  Acknowledge drivers who follow the law and yield to you when they should, especially at the problem intersections almost all of us encounter on our daily commutes, rather than get worked up at the ones who don’t. Same goes for a driver who gives their right of way to you. A little salute or wave and a smile works. You’ll find you get to your destination far less worked up.
- Jon Karak
  
  March 5th, 2009 at 18:56
  
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  I’m with Ghostrider. Give’em hell when they cross you…but spouting off when you are the one in the wrong??? Thats just plain rude.
  
  If you want to try out for the Darwin awards by running red lights, then don’t get all pissed because someone calls you an idiot.
- Raiyn
  
  March 6th, 2009 at 00:01
  
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  @ Ghost, I believe my term was “guy on a bike”, but “bike rider” will do nicely. You’re dead on in the distinction I made though. Now where’s that :beer: emoticon?
- Ghost Rider
  
  March 6th, 2009 at 04:21
  
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  Raiyn…thanks for the correction! In any case, the next beer’s on me…
  
  @Paul: “Stopping isn’t bad. Slowing down isn’t bad. They’re both chances to work on your sprinting.” Ha ha…that’s classic, and I totally agree.
- Chip Haynes
  
  March 6th, 2009 at 05:45
  
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  Sometimes I suspect that velocity and atttiude are somehow related, but maybe not always. I try to keep an even head and a low profile, and I don’t go very fast, but yeah, I’ll get in your face if you try to kill me with your car. I’m just funny that way. Most of the time, I’ll simply move my lips as though I’m saying somerthing- but say nothing. I leave it to the driver to figure out what they deserve to be called. Sometimes I will yell, though. Younger drivers get “IDIOT!” (because it’s really easy to yell on a moment’s notice) and older drivers get “COMMUNIST!” becaus I figure they’ve been called just about everything else by now.
  
  I like it better when I don’t have to yell anything at all.
- Alan
  
  March 23rd, 2009 at 15:23
  
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  First of all, kudos to my pedaling compatriot, The Ghost Rider, for stirring up spirited conversation on the topic. In my younger days, I used to bike on roads and strike back against a-holes in a responsive mode. Now I have decided to be PRE-EMPTIVE here in the Tampa area as a bicyclist because the fact is people/drivers in the Tampa/Hillsborough County don’t have much expeience in sharing a road with a bicyclist. So my strategy is to make the first move by waving, flashing a peace sign, making a power fist — any outward gesture to make peace with a driver BEFORE they can even honk their horn or yell. And, as Jack pointed out, the ambassadorial gestures make a human connection between bicyclist and driver. Now don’t get me wrong, if a driver cuts me off, imperils my safety and acts as a general a-hole, I will point out to them that their road conduct is not becoming. But keep in mind, there are some hostile people out there who are mean-spirited to everyone who crosses their path. I realize I might come off as a goofy geek when I wave at most drivers, but I’m building relationships here. And ya know, five years of building relationships with drivers on the roads in my neck of the woods enhances my safety. And, it makes my day when drivers now FLASH ME THE PEACE SIGN FIRST when I see them on the road. Like Mike C. said, preemptive smiles and waves disarm the haters out there. Sometimes ya just gotta be first on spreading the love. AS.
- Riding a Horny Bike « Adventures in Missing the Point
  
  March 21st, 2009 at 15:23
  
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