Sorry, I can’t help it. I’ll be quick:
- As she reported on Twitter, Emily got clipped by a car pulling out of a parking space this morning as she cycled in the bike lane, slowly, in Philadelphia (she’s fine). A cop who saw the incident advised her to “follow the rules” to avoid this sort of situation (she had been). It’s not always apparent, but there really is something pathological about the way we’re viewed by non-bikers.
- Less distressingly, a tip and request for motorists: I appreciate the sentiment, but you’re not actually doing me any favors by yielding to me in situations where you have the right of way — like, say, when the light has just changed and I’m trying to make a left. It’s good to know your intentions, but I still have to assume the worst about every other driver’s plans — like those of the inattentive guy in the lane next to you. By waving me through you’re basically asking me to either make an assumption about those other guys’ behavior and put myself at risk, or to inconvenience you by ignoring your generous offer to yield. I don’t really want to do either. Just treat me like a car the way the law tells you to. But thank you for not deliberately trying to kill me!
AGREE. The only thing worse than asshole drivers is some deferential drivers mixed with some asshole drivers. The worst of both worlds.