Jaybikers
The other day I was waiting at a red light while a flood cyclists passed by me in every direction. It was a particularly long red, and car traffic was lower than normal. And I’m glad there has been such and increase in biking. However I witnessed several close calls because no one was operating by the same set of rules:
It seemed their main concern was to get from A to B in the shortest, quickest way possible. But it got me thinking about the mindset. There is vehicular cycling, and then there is a more pedestrian approach…
However if you’re just out to get places as fast as possible and not willing to rest on a red, you may just be on a collision course. Stop at a red light sometime and watch what almost happens.
Ex-NYTimes ethicist weighs in on cyclists and red light running (hint: he is okay with it):
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/opinion/sunday/if-kant-were-a-new-york-cyclist.html?_r=1&hp
Our relationship with rules from the novice to the expert, calculative rationality:
http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~hdreyfus/html/paper_socrates.html
Hmm. When I’m at home, in a college town in North Carolina, I have no problem obeying all the laws. Vehicular cycling works great here, and that’s what I do. But in Boston/Cambridge (spent last summer there, as well as a lot of time in years past), strict vehicular cycling is counter-productive: you just get stuck in the same nasty traffic the cars are stuck in. I agree that cyclists in Boston do crazy, dangerous stuff that they shouldn’t — but honestly, if you’re not going to filter (carefully, at low speeds), there’s no point in biking there. I actually see the (relative) chaos of Boston as a good sign, in some ways: this is a city where the car doesn’t really rule. I think we need to make more of our cities like that, really.
I cycled in Somerville (like Boston, only with places like this http://goo.gl/maps/PeVC6 ) for 5 years using vehicular cycling and I never had a problem. Of course you’re not going to get there faster than anyone else, but who said it was a race? Traffic jams let you take a breath and take in the scene, and Boston is great for that.
No point in biking in Boston unless you’re going to filter? Well, you filter if you’ve got the nerve. Me? I enjoy life too much to risk it.
if I drove into work it can take anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours(yes – 2 hours – especially if it’s raining) – it’s unpredictable. same with the T – at least an hour for me to get to work (I have to transfer – twice). bike? always 35-40 minutes (thanks to bike lanes and a separate path). of course it’s not a race, and I ride pretty slowly – but without these facilities I’d be looking for a job closer to my house.
and filtering – do you mean lane splitting? I think lane splitting is insane – I move up along the right hand side of a very long line of cars that are stopped at a light and only if there is enough space. maybe I was using the wrong term.
union square is easy – I used to bike around there when I reverse commuted up to salem (I went through there on my way to north-station). it’s really not that trafficky – unless you actually rode on mcgrath – then you’re completely nuts.
Of course you’re not going to get there faster than anyone else, but who said it was a race?
You mean other than my boss, who has an unreasonable expectation that I arrive at work at the time I’m scheduled to arrive? 😉
I mean, yes, it’s nice to say “it’s not a race,” but when you’re biking for transportation, you often do have specific times by which you need to arrive at a particular place because of work schedules, appointments, etc. Having a bike lane along the main artery that I use to get to work allows me to get to work at a reasonable time. If there wasn’t one, it would be impractical for me to ride my bike to work and I’d go back to driving.
“when you’re biking for transportation, you often do have specific times by which you need to arrive at a particular place because of work schedules, appointments, etc.”
Yup, and to achieve that arrival time, we adjust our departure times to suit. If we find we’re getting there 5 minutes late, we leave 5 minutes earlier. It’s always worked for me. In fact, I usually add in another ten minutes or so, just so that I can take my time, because biking is fun and should not be rushed.
I’m surprised, actually, that there are some for whom this departure time adjustment is a revelation. Like I say, it’s not a race – if it is, you’re doing something wrong.
Yorkshire has gone bike mad. with the tour coming next year. I used to be a fit rider before I had and accident. but seeing some of the near misses im quite glad I don’t ride any more. Although there are more and more gaps being placed near to main lights.