[*BCM*] Boston Bikers

[Anne Wolfe]

It is also a cultural thing - down here sometimes you can see the
London/non-London divide based on whether or not pedestrians smile and
acknowledge you as you walk through a park, etc.  Obviously not on a City
High street, but in most other places, yes.  Same with bikes.  When I bike
in the South West, people always smile and say hi.  When I bike in London,
next to never.

On 17/08/06, Ian Thistle <idiotkid at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> It's B over any other reason, I'd say.
>
> On 8/17/06, TSmith4918 at aol.com <TSmith4918 at aol.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Just some rambling:
> >
> > So, someone splain to me the following about Boston bikers;  why is it
> so
> > dang hard to get a friendly response, a nod, wave, or acknowledgement of
> our
> > fellow bikers in the area?...could it be:
> >
> > A.  FEAR: People are too preoccupied avoiding becoming hood ornaments
> that
> > they are oblivious to other bikers.
> >
> > B.  CULTURE: People in this area never look you in the eye even when
> walking
> > to driving...why should biking be any different? c'mon,  It's not like
> we're
> > in santa monica or anything:  this is serious!
> >
> > C.  CLASS:  Unless you're wearing the latest in lycra/spandex day-glo
> clingy
> > fashion (personally I've gravitated to cotton, yeah, I know, sweat and
> all)
> > why should they waste their time on a recreational biker.
> >
> > D.  SNOBBERY:  ok, so my bike is 20 years old with cracked fenders and
> dirty
> > rims (comes from commuting 12 months out of the year), does this make
> anyone
> > unworthy of a nod?
> >
> > E.  AGEISM:  ok, so I am almost 50, it's not like I am hitting on anyone
> > from being friendly, especially if we're whizzing past each other at a
> > cumulative 30 miles an hours.
> >
> > F.  LACK OF GOOD BREEDING:  don't need to say much on this.
> >
> > G.  URBAN/SUBURBAN CLASH:  I do bike thru Chestnut Hill to get to
> work...do
> > I look to urban-scary-like? c'mon I'm almost 50 (see E)! and I wear
> baggy
> > clothes (see C)...
> >
> > H.  THE MYTH OF BIKER UNITY:  maybe I am expecting too much, rather than
> see
> > the bikers I encounter as brothers and sisters in the struggle for
> > liberation from petroleum products, maybe we're just individualists
> doing
> > our own thang with little in common.  Haven't we all felt a little
> twinge of
> > "hmm, I know I'm probably just a little faster than that biker up the
> > road..."?
> >
> > I.  NO REASON AT ALL:  that's just the way it is.
> >
> > It's not that hard to acknowledge each other:  critical mass does a
> great
> > job once a month;  here's hoping for a little more nods and waves out on
> the
> > roadway.  It's a good way to recognize what we're doing as a biking
> > community for fun and for meaning.
> >
> > Old guy.
> >
> >
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> >
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-- 
Anne Wolfe, LL.M.
Mobile: ( 077484) 76599
"Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies have chocolate and a little somethin'
from each of the other major food groups and they leave your mouth
feeling minty fresh, making them the ideal breakfast food for people on the
go." - Karen Jack
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