A fair question

Why do you hate cyclists?

Cycling is a fine idea in the same way a leaf blower is a fine idea if nobody points it at your face at 5:00 a.m. Streets with fewer cars are obviously better streets. No one wants to see trucks either. And people moving under their own power should be encouraged, within reason, and preferably away from toddlers and wildlife.

But there are enough near-collisions, near misses, and near-death experiences to make a person wonder if the cyclist is a person at all. We now live in a low-etiquette world, and cyclists are often the most visible example of it. For example, take single-use trails that are meant for walking. How many of us have seen a cyclist pass so close that the air pressure from the passing wheel makes your dog yelp? How many of us have been startled by a bell that was meant to warn us, but came too late to do anything but make us jump?

HONK from the path.

The grievance

Notes from the path

The near miss

You are walking along, thinking about groceries or the dog, when a bike passes close enough to change your underwear. No warning, just the zip as some overly muscled brute on a bike passes. The cyclist is gone before you can even think about what just happened. The only evidence is the change in air pressure.

The sidewalk problem

Sidewalks are for walking. Yet the sidewalk often becomes the overflow lane for cyclists who dislike traffic and also dislike dismounting. Honk.

The bike path problem

A bike path should solve the problem. Paint, bollards, signs, and a ribbon-cutting ought to help. Then the shared path becomes a time trial, and families, seniors, toddlers, and people carrying coffee become obstacles in someone else's workout.

The bell problem

The bicycle bell could help. Too often it comes after the startle, or from so far away that nobody knows what the sound is asking for. Sometimes the bell means hello. Sometimes it means die.

The rule problem

The rules seem to change by convenience. Vehicle in the lane. Pedestrian at the crossing. Athlete on the path (said sarcastically). Vulnerable road user when challenged (poor me!). Nobody should get every checkbox at once, except perhaps a goose.

The car problem

Cars deserve much of the blame. Yep, they are heavy, loud, and dangerous. But the cyclist martyr routine still has limits.

Cyclists also drive cars. Surprise! That fact tends to vanish from public discourse. The same person who spent the morning invoking road safety is now tailgating through a school zone.

The problem may have less to do with bicycles than with entitlement. Put wheels under entitlement and watch what happens.