Jerks vs. Everybody Else
September 26, 2008
I'm one of the hosts of the KBOO Bike Show, and that combined with editing this blog means that people constantly speak with me about bikes vs. cars: things bikers should do better, drivers should do better, who is right, who is wrong and tension on the road. I struggle with this topic - constantly wanting to remind people that we all make mistakes and we could all stand to be more respectful on the road. I am exhausted from hearing stories of bikers running stop signs because it is not the fact that they are on a bike that is the problem, it's how they are navigating the road.
So I was grateful for Shelby Wood's article in today's Oregonian where she chronicled her experience starting as a bike commuter. Wood offers an authentic view of what it is like for someone to start commuting: the fear of crossing lanes to make a left turn, being sure she'll wipe out on a steep hill. And at the end of the article, Wood summed up road tension so accurately when she said, "It's not cyclists versus motorists. It's jerks versus everybody else."
No longer is the car the main way we all get around. There is more of a mix of transportation modes than ever before. So let's see what we can all do, personally, to share the road. We shouldn't need signage and regulations to remind us to be respectful of the other road users around us.
Read the full article here.
Posted by orbike at September 26, 2008 6:35 PM
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Comments
Thanks for putting this up it made my day. I smiled as I read the headline, and smiled more as I read the article. I couldn't agree more that it really is all about Jerkos versus everyone else. I'm an everyone elser, how about you? Make a t-shirt.
Posted by: JoAnne Christine at October 2, 2008 6:09 AM