Invisibility
Sometimes when I’m riding I feel like I have a certain superhero power. Which turns out isn’t all that super.
Because I’m not made of steel.
And even if I could find a use for this superpower…
…it still wouldn’t solve anything.
Invisibility is dangerous. I want drivers to see me, I want their attention.
But even if I tried all this it wouldn’t solve the problem. I’m the elephant on the road, costume or not.
Thank you, thank you, Bikeyface for all your work. It’s wicked good.
I’m a CyclingSavvy basic course graduate (Dallas, 2010?), and generally I agree with their tenets on lane position, the five layers of safety, etc., as a good coping strategy for cycling/driving on roads and stroads (pace Charles Marohn).
Partly the result of such training, I too experience few problems with drivers; frequent hand or eye communication and a generous dash of the ‘Golden Rule’ rarely disappoints. I am, however, not blind to the fact that I also fall into the category of the confident, white, male cyclist. Not everyone fits that category, nor do they need it to ride a bike, thank goodness. Yet, categorizing is a factor in how drivers treat you, a cyclist, on the roadway, no matter what your ‘skills’ level. I believe that most drivers not only see the cyclist, but also categorize him or her on sight, and will treat them according to their disposition, all decided in a few seconds. My experience says that, where I live, confident, white males may more likely catch a break from a driver, whereas a female cyclist or a person of color, occupying the same lane position could be made to feel out of place.
No one should feel obligated to ride the way I do, not even other confident, white males. And even for me (confidence oozing from every privileged pore), the basic proposition of having to be ever watchful of driver behavior can be enervating. I live in Norman, Oklahoma, a sleepy college town of no particular distinction, so what it must be like cycling in Boston, which I hear is a bit larger than Norman, I have no idea. If asked, I would give no advice on the matter; as the saying goes, you don’t really know a town until you’ve cycled a mile in their bike lanes. Ok, two miles.
I admit that I’m bald and I drive.
I guess this must be something we (cyclists) are all thinking about on dark winter days and nights. No one really wants to be part of a sad statistic. I’m sure the motorist who ran down an elderly woman in a crosswalk last night, down the road from me, is very sad he did not see her in the rain and dark. But they are not the one in hospital today.
After seeing the aftermath of that unfortunate incident, I jotted down in my Evernotebook the outline of a story on this very issue. I have the perspective of nearly fifty years of cycling … and much less time behind the wheel. We all need to pay attention to the road, and others who share them.
Bikey,
It’s a very nice take on the subject, as ever. I called my bike blog (http://invisiblevisibleman.blogspot.com/) the Invisible Visible Man on the grounds that, as a large man of 6′ 5″ the only way I could make myself invisible to people was to put on high-visibility clothing and get on a bicycle. There’s a serious problem of perception here.
I hope my high-visibility clothing and lights help. But the only recent time I was knocked off by a car – when I was living in London – the vehicle came up behind me, on a clear road, turned across my path and took out my front wheel. It was a bright, sunlit winter’s day and I was wearing a bright red jacket and silver helmet, against a backdrop of a snow-covered sidewalk. Many people are, for whatever reason, not looking out for bicycles.
Invisible.
In places where the police actually enforce the traffic laws, cyclists miraculously become visible. In countries as far apart as Japan or The Netherlands, a “near miss” due to negligent car driving will land the car driver in jail for a long time.
Let’s imagine if the Boston police were to actually start enforcing the laws regarding dangerous car drivers by arresting these criminals and putting them in jail where they belong. What a concept! Imagine the police enforcing the law by arresting violent, dangerous criminals!
I predict that if the Boston police were to start doing their job, then cyclists would miraculously become visible.
Look, Kevin, I bet I’ve cycled more miles than you have. And even if I don’t drive, I would not catagorize inattentive drivers (who are not conditioned to see cyclists) as criminals who belong in jail. How sure are you that during your cycling life you have not ‘near miss’ a pedestrian?
Hey! I don’t consider my bright clothes obnoxious. I like them and each to their own, right? I should be allowed to wear what I want and not be judged. I don’t judge you, so don’t judge me. I ride my bike because I love it and I stay alive by pretending all drivers are blind so it doesn’t matter what I wear.