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

[John Kerr]

Arg....good point about those people who are compelled to yell.  In my own
view, when CM blocks traffic I like to think it might force someone to think
for a second and chill out.  I know this is not the natural response of a
driver, but traffic is not the end of the world and everyone needs to
relax.  Car culture is all about getting things done fast fast fast; we need
to fight against the time is money paradigm.   The desire to yell hateful
things at a stranger is so over the line...well, I think the point has been
made.

On a lighter note, some of the funnier comments I've had yelled at me while
biking:

"You're not a pedestrian!"
"I'm driving here!"
"I'm in a truck, you're on a bike!"

-John

On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 9:08 AM, Eric Mearns <ericmearns at gmail.com> wrote:

> People yell things from their cars and drive in an intimidating manner
> because they think their car is an anonymous platform (pretty amazing
> considering the size and variety of motor vehicles) and they think
> that they'll never have to see you again once they pass.  When you
> inevitably catch up to them at the light, they are never in the mood
> to have a discussion or to repeat themselves.  Not because they are
> shocked that you were somehow able to recall that they were driving
> the neon yellow Pontiac Aztec with the "I heart klezmer" bumper
> sticker, but because it suddenly dawns on them that they actually
> don't know as much about traffic laws as the person whose life
> actually depends on it, and that they were merely vocalizing their
> frustration at having to do something other than drive straight and
> fast.  Once you take away the anonymity and open up a dialogue, I find
> that most yellers turn into sheepish introverts.  One particularly
> manic motorist who I greeted at a red light after he had yelled
> something out his window at me responded with "I don't gotta talk to
> you."  Wow!  That's quite a change from your position a quarter mile
> ago!
>
> On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 11:44 AM, Jon Ramos <jontramos at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > 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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> >
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