Devlab

It’s summer! So it is of course time for another “Bike Vs. Car” debate circuit. These debates rage on in any major urban center, but it’s starting to look like The Toronto Star is kicking it up a notch with their current “MEAN STREETS” 4-part article series

[ Part 1 ]
[ Part 2 ]

So far I like the exposure the series is giving to the issues at hand, but I do have trouble with it. Tess seems to be positioning commuters against each other, and it is presenting the urban engineering questions Toronto faces as a “war”.

That’s a little heavy handed! I’ve never felt at war with people who are going in the same direction that I am going during my commute. I have as many troubles with other people on bikes (road salmon!) and pedestrians as I do with people in cars and trucks.

Of course when a motor vehicle makes a mistake, or if I make a mistake that puts me up against a motor vehicle, the “law of tonnage” cited in Part-1 comes into play.

Also part-1 includes a cycling safety video that has some good tips, but the cyclist demonstrating, Yvonne Bambrick, isn’t wearing a helmet (dun dun DUN!) As we know, helmets are the bizomb. Wear one if you value thinking with your brain.

Part of my view that bicycle advocacy shouldn’t be a “war” stems from experience. Cyclists can be highly unpredictable when viewed from a car which adds to tensions. Nobody in their right mind actually wants to hit a cyclist, outside the realm of fantasy, so the cars that pass a cyclist are often just as nervous about creaming me as I am about getting pizza’d.

I can stem a lot of these tensions and interactions myself, and you can too. Here’s what I usually do to make vehicles, pedestrians, and other cyclists more comfortable with my presence on the road.

1. I signal my intentions
   Not with those goofy “official” hand signals you’re taught during most bike safety courses. In my opinion the practicality of those signals is of little use, and can cause more confusion than help. If you’re wondering why, just look at them and imagine their use in busy traffic. Instead I just point, directly, and a little down, and aggressively, where I’m going. It always works.
2. I wave, at everybody
   Not like some smiling idiot, mind you. But if a taxi waits for me to pass before entering traffic, he gets a hand up and a head-nod. If a pedestrian sees me and doesn’t bolt across the street in front of me, they get a hand up and a head-nod. Basically everyone who doesn’t kill me gets a nod. It’s about acknowledgement. I’ve found that this will defuse almost any driver. All they want to know is that you know that they made room for you. It increases fellowship and good will. It’s so easy. I haven’t had a confrontation with a driver since adopting this policy and it feels great to do.
3. Let it slide
   Yeah, so… someone wasn’t looking, and they revved out into traffic in front of you, or they got too close. Are you still alive? Still on your bike? Ok, move on. Having it out with someone who wasn’t paying attention (or worse, was paying attention) accomplishes nothing positive. At best it makes them feel foolish and messes up their day over something minor, at worst it verifies every dumb stereotype about cyclists they may harbor and we get more Toronto Star trend-pieces to chew on in the summer So just move on. Same goes for Honky McHonk that can’t wait for you to get out of “the way”. Hell, I even wave and nod at those people as they pass, without smirking.
4. I don’t assume shoulds
   Yeah, the car at the 4-way stop should give you right of way. The truck passing you should give you lots of room when suddenly turning right. Lots of shoulds. A “should” often doesn’t work out in practice even if it’s the law. So unless you are certain a vehicle or pedestrian sees you and intends to let you by, don’t assume your legal right will protect you from what they’ll actually do.
5. Finally, you’re not at war
   Everybody is going in the same direction.