Vehicular Cycling (VC) - Why are there no women advocating VC?

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John C. Ratliff
05-11-07, 01:50 AM
Is it just me, or is the VC message consistently being espoused only be men? In other words, is this concept driven as much be testosterone as by reason? Is there some kind of sexism at play here? From what I can see, this part of the A&S forum is made up of about six men who are constantly and vocally saying that the only way to cycle "competently" is if you use the VC concepts. If there are women who advocate for VC, then I would like very much to hear from them. We need that perspective, and I have yet to hear it.
John
Maybe because they are smart enough not to get into a pointless pissing match with extremely pedantic people.
wethepeople
05-11-07, 02:09 AM
Maybe because they are smart enough not to get into a pointless pissing match with extremely pedantic people.
I read this and laughed, it could not have been summed up any better.
Hawaii Bicycling League BikeEd program which teaches VC to 4th graders has had female program directors, female instructors and 2 of the 3 HBL Executive Directors since the start of the program have been females.
Are you implying that these women are suffering from too much testosterone? :rolleyes:
His statement looked to me like a question, not an implication of any sorts.
By the way, my wife has PCOS, which gives her a testosterone level so high that she would be accused of doping if she ever entered sports and she is about as petite and femenine as a belle. So it is possible for those women to have "too much testosterone".
...I'm just saying.
Hobartlemagne
05-11-07, 06:08 AM
It may be an aggression thing. You can't be passive in VC riding. Generally speaking, men are more agressive than women- also more prone to risk taking.
ellenDSD
05-11-07, 07:08 AM
Maybe because they are smart enough not to get into a pointless pissing match with extremely pedantic people.
Ha Ha Ha- very funny!
But take heart, there are plenty of women who ride VC. I'm one of them!
Maybe because they are smart enough not to get into a pointless pissing match with extremely pedantic people.
Yeah, we tend to be less prone to getting into urination competitions! Another possible part of the reason for your observations is that there are fewer female than male cyclists to begin with.
joejack951
05-11-07, 07:36 AM
It may be an aggression thing. You can't be passive in VC riding. Generally speaking, men are more agressive than women- also more prone to risk taking.
If you think riding "VC" is about being aggressive and taking risks then you should read up a little more.
I-Like-To-Bike
05-11-07, 07:46 AM
Is it just me, or is the VC message consistently being espoused only be men? In other words, is this concept driven as much be testosterone as by reason? Is there some kind of sexism at play here?
Cycling in some manner that could be described as "Vehicular" and espousing a "VC Message" are two different and distinct behaviors and the former is not necessarily related to the later. The cycling in a manner that could be described as vehicular is not necessarily gender related, I suspect the espousing (AKA obnoxious ranting and browbeating) is; witness the efforts by the exclusively male VC™ proselytizers on BF and elsewhere on the Internet.
Apparently the "VC Message" as espoused by the VC™ gurus, apostles, and disciples is wrapped up in the excess baggage of Forester Brand political, social, psychological Sophistry which appeals to a certain type of male.
sbhikes
05-11-07, 09:02 AM
I find that some of the men who espouse and proselytize VC™ are sexist in the most obvious kind of way. I feel that others are simply blind to seeing things from any other perspective than one shaped by experiences of competition, whether that comes from sports, war, or corporate America.
slowandsteady
05-11-07, 09:10 AM
Maybe because they are smart enough not to get into a pointless pissing match with extremely pedantic people.
+1
slowandsteady
05-11-07, 09:11 AM
Yeah, we tend to be less prone to getting into urination competitions! Another possible part of the reason for your observations is that there are fewer female than male cyclists to begin with.
on these boards perhaps...But I see plenty of women cyclists.
Helmet Head
05-11-07, 09:29 AM
Is it just me, or is the VC message consistently being espoused only be men? In other words, is this concept driven as much be testosterone as by reason? Is there some kind of sexism at play here? From what I can see, this part of the A&S forum is made up of about six men who are constantly and vocally saying that the only way to cycle "competently" is if you use the VC concepts. If there are women who advocate for VC, then I would like very much to hear from them. We need that perspective, and I have yet to hear it.
John For who knows what reason (cultural? genetic?) "early adopters" of new things often tend to be men. Relative to the cultural norms we all grew up with, in the U.S., riding a bicycle vehicularly in traffic is, for all intents and purposes, a "new thing".
However, there are usually exceptions, and VC is no exception to having exceptions. This website is solely owned, designed and operated by a woman, Lauren Cooper:
http://www.bicyclinglife.com/PracticalCycling/VCIntro.htm
Also, on this forum, I don't know if user "Chephy" would identify herself as a vehicular cyclist much less a VC advocate, but I get the impression that she thinks and rides vehicularly.
LittleBigMan
05-11-07, 09:38 AM
Why are there no women advocating VC?
John, I'm not sure that's an accurate assumption. I remember quite well seeing a female cycling instructor with a group of young cyclists (approx. age 12) riding through a downtown Atlanta neighborhood. (If she wasn't an instructor, she seemed to be using the methods.)
chipcom
05-11-07, 09:52 AM
OH, OH, I know the answer to this one...I heard it in a song...
Cuz girls just wanna have fun!
(cept Ann Coulter...but we are not convinced that she's a girl and suspect that she may actually be HH)
2manybikes
05-11-07, 10:09 AM
OH, OH, I know the answer to this one...I heard it in a song...
Cuz girls just wanna have fun!
(cept Ann Coulter...but we are not convinced that she's a girl and suspect that she may actually be HH)
:beer: :roflmao: :beer: :roflmao:
Have some of the Girls Gone Wild? :D
LittleBigMan
05-11-07, 11:31 AM
I've seen plenty of female cyclists on the road, riding vehicularly.
But I wonder if some females don't cycle commute because they are concerned about other forms of safety aside from traffic itself, like *******.
Buglady
05-11-07, 11:36 AM
I think we just get out and do it... I have learned quite a lot from the bike foums and have started using VC principles in several parts of my commute. I don't enjoy riding on heavily trafficked roads but I do feel competent to do so now. Biggest thing I learned was the sidewalk safety lie.
I taught my Girl Guide group the basics of taking the lane, obeying traffic signals, and being visible.
on these boards perhaps...But I see plenty of women cyclists.
Maybe it's somewhat of a regional thing, too. I have yet to see another female cyclist out on the roads where I ride. It's rather surprising, really.
Ahem....
I am a female cyclist and have taken the League of American Bicyclists course "Road One" (a course in how to ride as a legal vehicle in urban settings), from a female instructor (co-instructor) no less. I use the concept of vehicular cycling on every outing, as I don't have a non-urban area in which to ride.
As for "espousing the message", personally, haven't been on BF in over a year...but even then I'd prefer to ride in a safe and vehicular manner than talk about it.
But, I came to this thread intrigued and in hopes that there would be some new/good advice. We are dealing with some strange legislative issues in my home state that concern bicycles as vehicles and I'm trying to get better informed. Maybe I'll become more vocal as a result. Meanwhile, I'm glad ya'll are here talking about VC and other A&S issues. Everyday I see folks on bikes not obeying the vehicle laws of the state, and endangering not just themselves, but by confusing the motorized-vehicle public, endagering me too!
Thanks,
TBeri
clancy98
05-11-07, 12:19 PM
cause chicks dig fast cars? err, wait..
I-Like-To-Bike
05-11-07, 12:23 PM
I've seen plenty of female cyclists on the road, riding vehicularly.
But I wonder if some females don't cycle commute because they are concerned about other forms of safety aside from traffic itself, like *******.
So what is the subject/your question? Women cyclists in general or women who espouse/advocate the VC message? Tain't the same thing at all.
sggoodri
05-11-07, 01:38 PM
Ahem....
I am a female cyclist and have taken the League of American Bicyclists course "Road One" (a course in how to ride as a legal vehicle in urban settings), from a female instructor (co-instructor) no less. I use the concept of vehicular cycling on every outing, as I don't have a non-urban area in which to ride.
As for "espousing the message", personally, haven't been on BF in over a year...but even then I'd prefer to ride in a safe and vehicular manner than talk about it.
But, I came to this thread intrigued and in hopes that there would be some new/good advice. We are dealing with some strange legislative issues in my home state that concern bicycles as vehicles and I'm trying to get better informed. Maybe I'll become more vocal as a result. Meanwhile, I'm glad ya'll are here talking about VC and other A&S issues. Everyday I see folks on bikes not obeying the vehicle laws of the state, and endangering not just themselves, but by confusing the motorized-vehicle public, endagering me too!
Thanks,
TBeri
Welcome, TBeri!
Of the two local League Cycling Instructors I know who have taught LAB classes here in the Raleigh-Durham area, one is a woman. At my recent LCI seminar in Spartanburg, SC, six women attended to become LCIs.
The number of women actively supporting vehicular cycling in these parts appears in line with the number of women who are frequent cyclists.
DevLaVaca
05-11-07, 02:36 PM
Maybe because they are smart enough not to get into a pointless pissing match with extremely pedantic people.
This thread was won from the beginning....
sbhikes
05-11-07, 02:58 PM
I think plenty of women espouse vehicular cycling principles (I do, for a matter of fact), but if you are asking why aren't there more women espousing the John Forester party line, I think that is a different question.
donnamb
05-11-07, 03:06 PM
I think plenty of women espouse vehicular cycling principles (I do, for a matter of fact), but if you are asking why aren't there more women espousing the John Forester party line, I think that is a different question.
That pretty much sums it up for me. I'm just not a religious person in any way at all.
donnamb
05-11-07, 03:08 PM
Attention women BF members who are reading this thread:
Do you have access to the Women's Forum? If you don't and you'd like access, please send me a PM. :)
I-Like-To-Bike
05-11-07, 03:17 PM
Attention women BF members who are reading this thread:
Do you have access to the Women's Forum? If you don't and you'd like access, please send me a PM. :)
Who do I PM if I want access to BF Women? Ha, ha just kidding, I'm a good boy.
chipcom
05-11-07, 03:22 PM
Attention women BF members who are reading this thread:
Do you have access to the Women's Forum? If you don't and you'd like access, please send me a PM. :)
Just when I have a totally perverted reply to your previous 'religious' post, you have to go and start selling something. You really make it hard for a guy to be a smart-arsed letch, ya know? :D
John C. Ratliff
05-11-07, 04:42 PM
I brought this up because I really do think that the VC forum needs more women input. My wife and I both ride, but she does not commute like I do. I know she has a different perspective about things too from me, so I would really appreciate it if there were more input from the women in this forum. Us males sometimes let our egos get in the way of hammering out strategies that we can all agree on. My observation is that just about all of us use the Vehicular Cycling techniques, but perhaps with a different emphasis.
I, for instance, seem more willing to slow down and enjoy a ride on the bike paths than some others, who to me seem obsessed with getting from Point A to Point B as fast and efficiently as possible, without really appreciating the journey. This last week, I was able to stop and watch a flock of ducks and a family of geese (mother, father and five goslings) feedingf near my bike path, which goes along a creek. As I looked at these new, cute little goslings, with their protective parents hoovering nearby, I thought about all those people, both drivers and bikers, who had missed this little gem of a moment. They really don't know what they are missing.
Sometimes, I think that in our rush to get places, we forget about the gift of the journey itself. I have been to China in the 1980s, and watched the cyclists there (both male and female), and they were not riding extremely hard. They were stroking along, simply going to their destination in a deliberate way. Last year, I started seeing this with some bike commuters who rode in their regular clothes to a forum on bicycle commuting. Like the Chinese riders I had seen, they simply rode in and parked their bikes at Portland State University, and went inside to hold their seminars and give their talks. No shower, no sweating, just transportation.
This is where maybe more of the women's voice may be helpful. It could tone down the shrillness that I am seeing here, and perhaps, just perhaps, win over some others who read here, but are turned off by the "decibels" of the discussion.
John
Sometimes, I think that in our rush to get places, we forget about the gift of the journey itself. I have been to China in the 1980s, and watched the cyclists there (both male and female), and they were not riding extremely hard. They were stroking along, simply going to their destination in a deliberate way. Last year, I started seeing this with some bike commuters who rode in their regular clothes to a forum on bicycle commuting. Like the Chinese riders I had seen, they simply rode in and parked their bikes at Portland State University, and went inside to hold their seminars and give their talks. No shower, no sweating, just transportation.
John
You make a good point here. I do think though that the main reason we are so often in such a rush to get from point A to point B is that given the society we live in, we have to be this way to a certain extent or we're at a major disadvantage. The way everything is set up we often don't have time to take it easy, because those around us have certain expectations that we need to meet if we want to be able to compete, for lack of a better term. It would be good if our society moved toward a better balance in that respect--we would probably be happier, less stressed and healthier if we weren't forced to rush around all the time.
Helmet Head
05-11-07, 07:28 PM
I brought this up because I really do think that the VC forum needs more women input. My wife and I both ride, but she does not commute like I do. I know she has a different perspective about things too from me, so I would really appreciate it if there were more input from the women in this forum. Us males sometimes let our egos get in the way of hammering out strategies that we can all agree on. My observation is that just about all of us use the Vehicular Cycling techniques, but perhaps with a different emphasis.
I, for instance, seem more willing to slow down and enjoy a ride on the bike paths than some others, who to me seem obsessed with getting from Point A to Point B as fast and efficiently as possible, without really appreciating the journey. This last week, I was able to stop and watch a flock of ducks and a family of geese (mother, father and five goslings) feedingf near my bike path, which goes along a creek. As I looked at these new, cute little goslings, with their protective parents hoovering nearby, I thought about all those people, both drivers and bikers, who had missed this little gem of a moment. They really don't know what they are missing.
Sometimes, I think that in our rush to get places, we forget about the gift of the journey itself. I have been to China in the 1980s, and watched the cyclists there (both male and female), and they were not riding extremely hard. They were stroking along, simply going to their destination in a deliberate way. Last year, I started seeing this with some bike commuters who rode in their regular clothes to a forum on bicycle commuting. Like the Chinese riders I had seen, they simply rode in and parked their bikes at Portland State University, and went inside to hold their seminars and give their talks. No shower, no sweating, just transportation.
This is where maybe more of the women's voice may be helpful. It could tone down the shrillness that I am seeing here, and perhaps, just perhaps, win over some others who read here, but are turned off by the "decibels" of the discussion.
John
I provided a link to Lauren Cooper's site. Here it is again.
http://www.cyclemedia.org/
Check it out.
joejack951
05-11-07, 07:54 PM
You make a good point here. I do think though that the main reason we are so often in such a rush to get from point A to point B is that given the society we live in, we have to be this way to a certain extent or we're at a major disadvantage. The way everything is set up we often don't have time to take it easy, because those around us have certain expectations that we need to meet if we want to be able to compete, for lack of a better term. It would be good if our society moved toward a better balance in that respect--we would probably be happier, less stressed and healthier if we weren't forced to rush around all the time.
Chances are if you are riding a bike you aren't in that big of a rush to get somewhere.
John C. Ratliff
05-11-07, 08:43 PM
I provided a link to Lauren Cooper's site. Here it is again.
http://www.cyclemedia.org/
Check it out.
Thanks Helmet Head,
I'm looking...
John
Are you implying that these women are suffering from too much testosterone? :rolleyes:
only if they are official representatives of dykes on bykes.
:D
I-Like-To-Bike
05-12-07, 06:42 AM
Thanks Helmet Head,
I'm looking...
John
Find anything of interest? Or timely?
check out this nugget of questionable veracity from that website:
"We know that most car/bike collisions can be avoided by riding as serious adult drivers, who cooperate with other drivers by using all advanced vehicle-traffic rules; including ALL the exceptions to the ride-right rule."
who's We? got a frog in your pocket? and how does she/they "know" this?
oh, yeah, "studies have shown"
John C. Ratliff
05-12-07, 04:55 PM
Find anything of interest? Or timely?
Well, yes I did. I like the idea of "Cooperative Cycling," or "Advanced Traffic-Bicycling," rather than "Vehicular Cycling." I'll explain later.
John
John C. Ratliff
05-12-07, 09:45 PM
The terms "Cooperative Cycling," and "Advanced Traffic-Bicycling," better fit into my thoughts of what we should be doing than does the term "Vehicular Cycling." Vehicular Cycling goes by the acronym of "VC," and to me, being a Vietnam Veteran, the term "VC" is an automatic turn-off. It conjures up too many very nasty images in my brain, and this is something I cannot get rid of. I can say that this is another generation, unemcumbered by these images from the Vietnam War, but that still doesn't help me and that term. I simply do not like it, and I never will. So if you are willing to write off the Baby Boom Generation from the VC (Vehicular Cyciling) movement, keep using the term.
Cooperative cycling is much more what I do, and how I go about my cycling. I cooperate with the traffic, signal my intentions, use the bike lane when it's available and when it's going where I want to go, slow down to find traffic gaps to get into when I need to take the lane, etc. I cannot, at my age, maintain a 20-25 mph pace on level ground. So I find the gaps to get into a lane, signal my intent, then positon myself in the lane where I will be noticed, but not necessarily take up the whole lane. This is not "The Gap Effect," that Robert Hurst discusses, but rather looking at traffic waves, or surges, that are produced by the stop lights. I will wait until a surge of traffic is past before taking the lane at times. I'm not "type AAA," in that I don't push time limits. If I'm slightly later to work, or somewhere else, it really doesn't matter that much. At times, I will signal my intent, and I will stop people who are trying to either pass unsafely. For instance, if I'm going downhill at 40 mph, and there's a bridge coming up which narrows the lane, and there is opposing traffic, I'll stick my hand out and down and motion for a car not to pass. This type of communication between the bicyclist and a vehicle is the type of cooperation that is necessary for us to share the road as equals. I will not hog the lane simple to make a statement, but will take the lane if passing is hazardous for a vehicle.
I think this is part of "Advanced Traffic-Bicycling," or "Cooperative Bicycling" which is not the ego approach that the VC advacotes seem to promote.
John
Sounds much better than what the "Cycletologists" are pushing John. :beer:
donnamb
05-12-07, 11:32 PM
Vehicular Cycling goes by the acronym of "VC," and to me, being a Vietnam Veteran, the term "VC" is an automatic turn-off. It conjures up too many very nasty images in my brain, and this is something I cannot get rid of. I can say that this is another generation, unemcumbered by these images from the Vietnam War, but that still doesn't help me and that term. I simply do not like it, and I never will. So if you are willing to write off the Baby Boom Generation from the VC (Vehicular Cyciling) movement, keep using the term.
John, some of us who were brought up by Vietnam veterans find that acronym off-putting as well. :(
LittleBigMan
05-12-07, 11:42 PM
Viet Cong?
Heck, I was only about 10 years old when that was on the news. I'm almost 50 now.
(and this is important, how?)
ALERT: "VC" should now be referenced as, "EC." It's "PC" to do so. :rolleyes:
(ok, my dad served in WWII, so I won't buy a Japanese car?)
Can we Please get on track?
Look, this has naught to do with anything. My dad was pumpin' gas at 19 when he heard of the attack on Pearl Harbor and soon enlisted. ...and?...
...and he bought Toyotas faithfully for 20 years after his Plymouth proved worthless...he's 83 and will probably die with a Corolla as his final car...do I get points for that?
k, i've had too much to drink..
:D
I-Like-To-Bike
05-13-07, 08:10 AM
The terms "Cooperative Cycling," and "Advanced Traffic-Bicycling," better fit into my thoughts of what we should be doing than does the term "Vehicular Cycling." Vehicular Cycling goes by the acronym of "VC," and to me, being a Vietnam Veteran, the term "VC" is an automatic turn-off... I simply do not like it, and I never will. So if you are willing to write off the Baby Boom Generation from the VC (Vehicular Cyciling) movement, keep using the term.
Whatever.:rolleyes: Speak for yourself and not as a spokesman for me or anybody else of our generation. Renaming Forester Brand Vehicular Cycling Dogma (which the web site in question is really all about) to a more PC name is not going to help. A turd smells like turd even if renamed as a rose.
sbhikes
05-13-07, 07:58 PM
John Ratliff, what you describe I just think of as simply lawful cycling, or just transportational cycling. How else can transport yourself by bicycle day after day, year after year, without being lawful and a part of the whole that is "traffic."
I don't have issues with Veit Cong and VC. When I hear VC I think of all the negative macho BS of the lane position "we-don't-need-no-stinkin'-bike-lanes" zealots, the phony studies, sour grapes and made up mental disorders of John Forester, and the rabid anti-bike lane "sky-is-falling-we're-losing-all-our-rights" fear-mongering of certain hyperventillating members of this forum.
What doesn't change is transportational cycling and what is required to get it done. You may find that best described by Robert Hurst. But it's possible that no MAN has quite described what it takes to be a woman transportational cyclist, which when combined with the rabid sexism of the Forester Brand Vehicular Cyclist, might explain whey there aren't more women advocating their brand.
sggoodri
05-13-07, 11:29 PM
Chances are if you are riding a bike you aren't in that big of a rush to get somewhere.
I disagree; many cyclists bike to save time, i.e. because car parking is inconvenient, or because the time it would take them to earn the money to pay for car ownership is much greater than the time car ownership would save them. Health oriented cyclists may overlap their commuting time with their exercise time, but often find that their bike commute is substantially longer than they need for their exercise goals. Schedules shift, and people end up running late. When the utility cyclist is on the bicycle, she may value her time as much as anyone else on the road.
sggoodri
05-13-07, 11:49 PM
The terms "Cooperative Cycling," and "Advanced Traffic-Bicycling," better fit into my thoughts of what we should be doing than does the term "Vehicular Cycling." Vehicular Cycling goes by the acronym of "VC," and to me, being a Vietnam Veteran, the term "VC" is an automatic turn-off. It conjures up too many very nasty images in my brain, and this is something I cannot get rid of. I can say that this is another generation, unemcumbered by these images from the Vietnam War, but that still doesn't help me and that term. I simply do not like it, and I never will. So if you are willing to write off the Baby Boom Generation from the VC (Vehicular Cyciling) movement, keep using the term.
Cooperative cycling is much more what I do, and how I go about my cycling. I cooperate with the traffic, signal my intentions, use the bike lane when it's available and when it's going where I want to go, slow down to find traffic gaps to get into when I need to take the lane, etc. I cannot, at my age, maintain a 20-25 mph pace on level ground. So I find the gaps to get into a lane, signal my intent, then positon myself in the lane where I will be noticed, but not necessarily take up the whole lane. This is not "The Gap Effect," that Robert Hurst discusses, but rather looking at traffic waves, or surges, that are produced by the stop lights. I will wait until a surge of traffic is past before taking the lane at times. I'm not "type AAA," in that I don't push time limits. If I'm slightly later to work, or somewhere else, it really doesn't matter that much. At times, I will signal my intent, and I will stop people who are trying to either pass unsafely. For instance, if I'm going downhill at 40 mph, and there's a bridge coming up which narrows the lane, and there is opposing traffic, I'll stick my hand out and down and motion for a car not to pass. This type of communication between the bicyclist and a vehicle is the type of cooperation that is necessary for us to share the road as equals. I will not hog the lane simple to make a statement, but will take the lane if passing is hazardous for a vehicle.
I think this is part of "Advanced Traffic-Bicycling," or "Cooperative Bicycling" which is not the ego approach that the VC advacotes seem to promote.
John
I don't care for acronyms, and since I think the purpose of the term is to describe the paradigm in contrast to pedestrian-oriented rules, I prefer to use the full term "vehicular cycling."
My cycling is highly cooperative, courteous, and adaptive, but it is all done in accordance with the basic vehicular rules of the road. Since it is possible to be cooperative, courteous, and adaptive when attempting to operate a bicycle on pedestrian facilities according to pedestrian rules, and sometimes possible to act uncooperatively, discourteously and non-adaptively while still following the letter of the traffic laws for drivers, these terms do not provide the desired specificity of paradigm.
Forester's book, Effective Cycling, describes a great deal more than vehicular cycling; for instance, issues of nutrition, pedaling efficiency, and comfort. These all can make cycling more enjoyable and "effective" depending on the cyclists' goals, but these are irrelevant to vehicular cycling. One can operate according to the rules for a driver of a vehicle while dehydrated, pushing an inefficient gear, and sitting on a too-low seat.
I have experimented with other terms, such as "bicycle driving." The point is to identify the cyclist as acting as the driver of a vehicle, according to ordinary vehicular rules, so that the corresponding set of traffic negotiation actions (roadway use, destination positioning, speed positioning, yielding when entering, crossing, and moving laterally, etc.) can be implied succinctly.
joejack951
05-14-07, 07:25 AM
I disagree; many cyclists bike to save time, i.e. because car parking is inconvenient, or because the time it would take them to earn the money to pay for car ownership is much greater than the time car ownership would save them. Health oriented cyclists may overlap their commuting time with their exercise time, but often find that their bike commute is substantially longer than they need for their exercise goals. Schedules shift, and people end up running late. When the utility cyclist is on the bicycle, she may value her time as much as anyone else on the road.
All very true. I guess it depends on how you look at it. For myself, I could say:
Big picture: saving time (if I didn't cycle for utility, I'd be spending more time exercising and more time maintaining a car and making money for both)
At the moment: usually not saving time (most trips I take could be done faster by car)
Helmet Head
05-14-07, 02:07 PM
The terms "Cooperative Cycling," and "Advanced Traffic-Bicycling," better fit into my thoughts of what we should be doing than does the term "Vehicular Cycling." Vehicular Cycling goes by the acronym of "VC," and to me, being a Vietnam Veteran, the term "VC" is an automatic turn-off. It conjures up too many very nasty images in my brain, and this is something I cannot get rid of. I can say that this is another generation, unemcumbered by these images from the Vietnam War, but that still doesn't help me and that term. I simply do not like it, and I never will. So if you are willing to write off the Baby Boom Generation from the VC (Vehicular Cyciling) movement, keep using the term.
Cooperative cycling is much more what I do, and how I go about my cycling. I cooperate with the traffic, signal my intentions, use the bike lane when it's available and when it's going where I want to go, slow down to find traffic gaps to get into when I need to take the lane, etc. I cannot, at my age, maintain a 20-25 mph pace on level ground. So I find the gaps to get into a lane, signal my intent, then positon myself in the lane where I will be noticed, but not necessarily take up the whole lane. This is not "The Gap Effect," that Robert Hurst discusses, but rather looking at traffic waves, or surges, that are produced by the stop lights. I will wait until a surge of traffic is past before taking the lane at times. I'm not "type AAA," in that I don't push time limits. If I'm slightly later to work, or somewhere else, it really doesn't matter that much. At times, I will signal my intent, and I will stop people who are trying to either pass unsafely. For instance, if I'm going downhill at 40 mph, and there's a bridge coming up which narrows the lane, and there is opposing traffic, I'll stick my hand out and down and motion for a car not to pass. This type of communication between the bicyclist and a vehicle is the type of cooperation that is necessary for us to share the road as equals. I will not hog the lane simple to make a statement, but will take the lane if passing is hazardous for a vehicle.
I think this is part of "Advanced Traffic-Bicycling," or "Cooperative Bicycling" which is not the ego approach that the VC advacotes seem to promote.
John
I don't understand the distinction you seem to be trying to make (besides the VC/Viet Cong, and unfortunate coincidence).
John Forester
05-14-07, 02:18 PM
But it's possible that no MAN has quite described what it takes to be a woman transportational cyclist, which when combined with the rabid sexism of the Forester Brand Vehicular Cyclist, might explain whey there aren't more women advocating their brand.
Please inform us of the peculiar features of being female that make transportational cycling different than for a male.
By the way, your misogynistic comments about my brand of cycling do nothing but draw horselaughs from the female cyclists whom I know.