[*BCM*] Longfellow/Cambridge Bike Police, Systemic Change, Courteous Mass...

[Jon Ramos]

try biking in the Malden, Everett areas... they honk and yell "Get on the sidewalk!", and much much worse.   I lived there for 6 years, and I decided to move to a more bike friendly area.  
Areas like that really NEED a Critical Mass... they dont deserve a Courteous Mass yet  ;)



----- Original Message ----
From: "TSmith4918 at aol.com" <TSmith4918 at aol.com>
To: list at bostoncriticalmass.org
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:38:28 AM
Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Longfellow/Cambridge Bike Police, Systemic Change, Courteous Mass...

 
<<making mental note not to honk or yell at any female bikers on Huntington Avenue>>
yer a saint, Kate!    I usually kindly offer the same instruction about traffic laws but not nearly so calmly and collectedly...
----------------------------
 
In a message dated 7/31/2008 11:25:23 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, ziegler.kate at gmail.com writes:
I just want to say, firstly, that I've really enjoyed all of the discussion that's been going on the past few days. There have been a lot of interesting perspectives brought forward, and though I don't necessarily subscribe to all of them personally, I think sharing and seeing all sides is essential.
 
That being said, I was really struck by someone else bringing forward the idea of systemic change - this really is the heart of the issue, as I see it, and I think between all of our individual road rage and buggaboos on a daily commuting basis, the larger systemic picture gets lost too often. Still, this is the argument I tend to take on when challenged - the problem is not specifically motorists or cyclists, but the system in which we all operate. The basic system and culture needs to be changed to alleviate the tensions of biking in a city as unfriendly to bikes as Boston. Yes, I run red lights - I slow down first, and look, but I would much sooner keep moving that have traffic honking and swerving around me when the light turns green. Yes, I move between lines of traffic, because I've been rear-ended when stopped in a lane. Yes, I ride more than three feet away from the curb, often taking a lane, even in moderate traffic, but if I'm moving at a
 reasonable speed I will always do so, to avoid dooring and debris. Would I opt to ride differently and follow the rules if it were safe for me to do so? Of course.
 
On a study abroad experience in Geneva, Switzerland, I biked everywhere. Geneva has raised bike paths, bike traffic signals and bike turning lanes. You can rent bikes for free with a 10 franc, refundable deposit. Women bike in their heels and men bike in their suits. While certainly this is a European-style ideal, it makes a world of difference - and running a red light from your bike lane most often would mean collision with other cyclists, not collision with cars.
 
Another city that has made some radical changes to promote cycling and human friendly spaces in general is Bogota (I'm dying to go!) - this video with the former mayor highlights a lot of the changes made, and explains the challenges and obstacles in doing so. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGycx75mqRk
 
On a slight tangent, I had an interesting altercation on my ride to work this morning - On the underpass on Huntington, going under Mass Ave, a woman pulled next to me, rolled down her window, honked and yelled that the road is not a bike lane. As is my standard reaction, especially in the morning commute downtown, I kept my eye on her car and of course caught up to her a few lights down. I got off my bike, crossed in the crosswalk and stopped at her car window, and began to explain (calmly, I'd like to emphasize - I always try to be polite and calm, as people are usually so startled at being recognized from inside their rolling castles that being angry would only escalate) that traffic law both allows and requires me to ride in traffic, not on the sidewalk, and that I'd like to apologize for any inconvenience to her. Mid-speech, she rolled up her window, locked her door and RAN A RED LIGHT to get away from me. I've never seen such a thing, in all the
 people I've stopped and all the biking I've done. And really, I can think I'm that intimidating. Any similar experiences, anyone?
 
Back to my argument for systemic change (and I think Courteous Mass is a great addition to Critical Mass in awareness-raising!), this is also and interesting video on bike-friendly cities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rwwxrWHBB8
 
Peace and safe riding,
Kate
 




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