duceditor

Boston's mayor has made making the city more bicycle friendly a key goal. New bike lanes are being created and the no parking rule is being enforced. But there is pushback, and unfortunately not all of it is undeserved in the bicyclist's opinion.

Here are a couple of links:-don

SouthFLpix

It's interesting that that 2nd 'anti-cycling' article was written by a female. I say interesting, because through my own observations I have noted that female drivers are often the most vocal against cyclists.

duceditor

I think there are two groups of drivers who are likely to be, if not "anti bicyclist" at least critical of the way some of us ride.

The first is the highly competent. A skilled driver (and this is equally true for a skilled bicyclist!) is driving/riding way ahead of his or her contact patch. Predicting when each vehicle he/she sees is going to be at any given place. Doing that makes for a smooth drive/ride with few unexpected surprises.

To such a driver/rider the flighty way some less skilled or thoughtful bicyclist rides is a problem. One minute they are going with the flow of traffic, another impeding it. On minute they are owning their space, the next violating someone else's

Now if the skilled driver is put off by that -- and they are as it makes their experienced judgment of traffic flow almost useless -- imaging how an unskilled/frightened driver feels. (No, not "thinks")

That is what the female columnist is demonstrating to me both from her own opinions and prejudices, but also from the people she chooses to interview.

As a bicyclist I condemn irresponsible drivers who put bicyclists at risk. But I also have a duty to condemn irresponsible bicyclists. Sometimes I think we bicyclists tend to be tribal and to simply side with our own. If so we, IMO, are impeding progress towards a bike friendly road environment.

-don

mechBgon

Every time I consider chewing out a motorist for an unsignalled turn or lane change, or for blowing a stop sign, I realize it would sound incredibly hypocritical coming from a cyclist

mconlonx

I used to live in the city back in the mid 00s. Went down to Somerville last night and was pleasantly surprised to see sharrows on Prospect St. -- those weren't there 6 years ago.

Kojak

For the forseeable future, haters will continue to hate, and too often they will be given their justification for their hate by a minority of cyclists who feed the beast.

Since virtually no one, pedestrians, drivers or cyclists, obey every traffic law all of the time, no one really has holy ground to stand on. And face it, we all make mistakes on occasion so we should cut each other a break every now and then. What we deserve, and should be able to expect is that everyone act reasonably and predictably, and have a certain humility when you do something bone-headed. This is where the problem lies.

The bad/aggressive drivers (which are vastly in the minority) are the ones that stick in your mind when you get home or get to work. The countless cars that you pass or that pass you without incident don't register. Conversely, it doesn't matter how many reasonable and predictable cyclists a motorist passes as they commute, they remember the a-hole that blows the light/stop sign without slowing, let alone stopping. This latter scenario is why I get a bit uppity when I see cyclists who intentionally make these types of maneuvers. It makes me and every other cyclist out there a potential target for the angst of an unreasonably enraged motorist. Doesn't matter that I wasn't the one who blew the light, I am "one of them". Sadly, most who flaut the reasonable conventions are able to "justify" their behavior through some weak argument, and they will continue to provide the haters with the ammunition they need to rage on.

fusilierdan

+1 to Kojack
In 72 days of commuting I've had 3 incidents
1. Someone yelled at me to get on the sidewalk.
2. A second car making a left turn at a light didn't see me, I was blocked by the first car, and cut me off. They did yell I'm sorry out the window.
3. I blew a redlight at a T- intersection thinking it was clear but it wasn't.

Most drivers give a wide berth and I try to obey the rules to keep myself out of trouble.

CB HI

Seriously, how could you have missed the many, many anti-salmon and anti-ninja cyclist post in these forums?

bragi

I totally agree that cyclists who do not abide by traffic laws should be given tickets. I personally get very annoyed by cyclists who act irresponsibly; it makes the rest of us look bad, and gives aid and comfort to those who would like to banish bicycles to the sidewalk.

gear

Had a pleasant ride through Boston on Saturday. Many more bicyclists than I have ever seen there. The bike lanes were great and traffic seems a bit more aware of riders. Had a few cyclists pass me and others (in cars) while we waited for the light to turn. Saw a car go through a red light too. At one point a passenger in a car said "you stop for red lights", I replied "yes, and so do you." We had a smile over that. It was a good mood all around. The bicycle show in Brookline was great too.