I’d like to talk with all of you about something that’s been bugging me…and this time it’s not about motorists vs. cyclists.
I’ve been a cyclist for upwards of 30 years, and I’ve experienced a lot of different cycling disciplines and cultures…from BMX racing and freestyle in the late 70s/early 80s to road racing in the mid- to late 80s, mountain biking in the early 90s, commuting, cargo-hauling, joyriding, beach cruising, urban assault and pretty much every other conceivable flavor. I’ve owned and appreciated many bikes in that time…road, mountain, fixed and free, singlespeed and bikes with dozens of gears.
Lately, though, I’ve begun to feel that all is not well in U.S. cycling culture. We’re at a crossroads like we were in the 1970s “bike boom” years — transportational cycling is making huge strides in U.S. cities and there are literally hundreds of advocacy groups clamoring for improvements. Urban cycling is HUGE — from sleek European uprights to the must-have fashion accessory for young citydwellers: the fixed gear bike. Media attention has focused on cycling like no other time in my recollection…road racing is televised fairly regularly and not a day goes by that there’s not a bike fashion or advocacy/health benefit/money-saving article in a major newspaper.
So why, then, is there so much friction within the world of cycling? In my 30+ years, I’ve witnessed the “us vs. them” mentality more times than I care to remember. Just off the top of my head, I’ve seen:
BMXers vs. fixed-gear freestylers
Roadies vs. mountain bikers
Bike geeks vs. “fashionistas”
Gearies vs. fixies
Commuters vs. racers
Vehicular cyclists vs. fans of road infrastructure
There are surely dozens more. Think about it: whatever discipline you partake in, there’s almost always an accompanying “us vs. them” attitude. I’m as guilty as anyone in this…I can’t pass a recumbent cyclist without making a smartass comment like “you’re laying down on the job!” Certainly, some of this “us vs. them” mentality is lighthearted — after all, many disciplines of cycling are competitive, and that spirit of competition breeds such a mindset.
Where I worry most is in thinking that such a mentality is divisive at a time when we ALL need to band together to fight for equal footing amongst road users — what do you think? Here are some other questions to help kick off a conversation: Is this a U.S.-only phenomenon, or do similar “us vs. them” mentalities exist elsewhere? Is it simply human nature to question folks who act differently or do things differently than us? Is this mentality really as damaging as I fear? Call it the “armchair sociologist” in me, but I’d love to hear YOUR thoughts on this — feel free to answer or comment on these and other questions as you think of them. If you’re writing in from outside the U.S., please indicate that in your comments.
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@Raiyn:
Thumbs up. Thanks for the explanation, I kinda figured I knew the meaning of GOB, but I wanted to be sure we were talking about the same thing.
LOL, yeah, when my first grandchild came into the world on August 28th of this year, I was … uh … reacquainted with the alternative meanings of “baby’s butt.”
I always say hello to all riders I meet. Whatever bike they are riding.
We have enough trouble dealing with traffic and all the other road hazards without creating trouble for ourselves within the cycling community!
Thing is, here in Rome it is not such a big deal – not too many mtb-ers in the area, so most people who ride are roadies.
And anyway, better to be polite – you never know if that guy you are passing is going to be faster than you!
I always acknowledge other people on bikes, regardless of who they are or what they are riding. If they choose not to acknowledge me that is their choice. As the years have progressed I have slowed a bit and enjoy life at a more reasonable pace. I have also gotten to know a few of my local riders, like John who is currently riding a pink Huffy mtb. He rides more miles in a week at 8mph than some roadies I know ride on a weekend. It is his only form of transportation and he lives 15 miles outside of town! Most people would assume he is a DUI loser, but they would be dead wrong. He is 68 years old and retired from factory work 5 years ago when the plant closed, he worked at that plant for 45 years. He lives on a piece of property that has been in his family for close to 100 years.
Kagi back up in post #34 gets it. VC is good in many situations but doesn’t work in many others, if we want to have an increase in cycling we need properly designed infrastructure.
IMHO the rabid VC people overlook the basics of physics and the attention span of today’s drivers.
Aaron
I just commented on a good piece by Neal Peirce on bike policy that has a similar divide in the comments there, between people who want separate infrastructure and people who advocate for riding as traffic: http://citiwire.net/post/1560
Making it an either/or question is a great way to divide and conquer. Let the cyclists wrangle amongst themselves about bike paths and they won’t unite and say that all streets should work for all users.
@BarbChamberlain
@Bike2WrkSpokane
http://www.biketoworkspokane.org
I was going to avoid mixing it up here about VC vs. Infrastructure Cyclists (IC), but Barb’s spot-on comment about the VC vs. IC debate keeping cyclists themselves divided and conquered by the anti-bike transportation people rang a bell with me so here I go.
On my commute to work, dedicated bike lanes are not necessarily the safest way to go; I discussed this in a post on the Recumbent Riders Social Club forum: http://rrsc.forumotion.com/commuting-f8/my-phoenix-commute-redux-t720.htm . Basically, the only way to make a separate bike infrastructure work is if you can keep it COMPLETELY SEPARATE. The second a bicyclist has to ride out of a separate infrastructure, and mix it up with motorized traffic, he or she is MORE at risk than if he or she was sharing the road at all times.
We need to build a transportation system which provides useful, crosstown roads which put bicyclist’s needs ahead of motorist’s. Motorists AND bicyclists should be able to know, instantly, if the thoroughfare they are traveling gives priority to cars or to bikes. Separate, multi-use paths are okay, but ONLY if they empty out onto a Bikes First road.