Squeeze up to me for a big hug. Yes, I’m wearing Spandex
By Jason Gay
The Cyclist Is Not Your Enemy
A plea from the bike: Let’s end the ridiculous battle between cyclists, pedestrians and drivers
Of all our wacky and agitated 21st century culture wars, the most ridiculous and unnecessary, to me, is Bike Haters vs. Bike Lovers. To be fair, what irritates the public is not bicycles, but bicyclists. People have anecdotes, sometimes years old, which can be vividly recalled at town meetings, bike lane hearings and in the comments sections of articles like this one. Stories like the nefarious cyclist who rode the wrong way on a one-way street. Or on trails where cyclists have sped past hikers, runners and bird watchers causing immediate heart stopping moments.
I will not deny for a second that cyclists can behave badly. I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. (Booo!) But it’s exasperating to see how Bad Cyclist anecdotes receive equal treatment to voluminous statistical evidence that cycling makes communities better.
As a cyclist, I’m frustrated by this divisiveness, and I want to help. I want to create a movement. I will admit, for the record, that I have given a middle finger once, or twice, to a wayward pedestrian or a texting driver. I have said words at intersections you cannot print in The Wall Street Journal, not even the digital edition. But that is over, my friends. I’m preaching a brand new philosophy designed to end the tiresome pitting of Citizens versus Bikes:
Love.
As in, I pledge to love everyone I encounter on the roadway, even if that love is not requited. As a cyclist I will commit to love the pedestrian, the jogger, the dog-walker, the Rollerblader, the stroller-pusher, the scooter, the skateboarder, the Rascal-operator, the cross-country skier, the pogo-sticking juggler. I will love the…actually, I have no idea what that contraption is. It looks like someone riding on a StairMaster that escaped from a rodeo.
And even if it sounds crazy—heretical, in fact—I will love my fellow automobile drivers, too.I’m serious. Come here, drivers. Unlock that door and step outside. Squeeze up to me for a big hug. Yes, I’m wearing Spandex. Yes, there’s a little bit of sweat and belly flab. Here’s the truth: Bike Lovers and Bike Haters might love to howl at each other, but none of us are going anywhere. Bikes are here to stay, as are pedestrians, runners, skaters, rollers and the guy on the StairMaster that escaped from a rodeo. Cars, too, are staying, though it appears we’ll be getting a driverless version of those soon. (I’ll hug a driverless car—I’m not scared of any fancy robots!) If we’re all going to be here, we probably should stop demonizing each other. It’s exhausting.
So come here, drivers. Come in for the hug. Yes, I’m even more sweaty and gross now. But you smell like one of those pine tree air fresheners. And did you just eat chicken fingers in the car?
I love you. Let’s all get home safe.Adapted from http://www.wsj.com/articles/america-the-cyclist-is-not-your-enemy-1463073268
