You think you're mad at cyclists?

By Aira Loren Burkhart.

I'm just as angry as you are.

You may have seen me sitting in traffic, the cyclist with the purple backpack, patiently breathing exhaust in after-work rush hour traffic, my arm outstretched signaling a turn downtown. And then, as I'm waiting, some guy on a bicycle blows by me on the right, streaks up to the red light and runs it! If I was willing to break the law, I would catch up to that guy and give him a piece of my mind. But I don't. I keep waiting in solidarity with my fellow after-work commuters because cycling as a vehicle is the law and the courteous thing to do.

Cyclists can be jerks. No doubt about it. But motorists can be jerks too: accelerating aggressively, cutting me off in order to stop and turn left 50 feet after risking my life, honking deafeningly as I obey the traffic laws.

What we need is some civility on the road.

We can start by reframing the story we tell ourselves about each other. With 3 screaming kids in the van, exhausted after work, just trying to pick up some dinner, the cyclist in front of you may look like a breezy free-spirit, no obligations to rain on his mellow, a slow obstruction on your path to a good night's rest. But that person may in fact be so harried by their job, chores and family that they cycle-commute to work because it's the only exercise they can make time for. And if you're the cyclist and someone threatens you with their vehicle, it's important to remember that their agitation is probably not about you and more about the boss's cutting remark or the pending mortgage payment.

If you need more convincing, try thinking about the possible consequences of your behavior on the road. If you, as a driver, killed a woman biking to work because you were in a hurry and thought of her as an inconvenience, not as a neighbor or as a mother, how would you live with yourself? Whether or not it was ruled an accident by the law, the guilt would never end.

Take a moment and really consider it.

And if you are a cyclist riding without regard for the deadly force of the vehicles around you, hopping on and off the sidewalk, running red lights, how would your family feel if you died breaking the law? I wouldn't wish such devastation on anyone.

When you're on the road, the consequences of anger, negligence and a moment's bad luck are too great to fathom. Let's smile and nod to each, obey the traffic laws, and remember that at the end of the day, we all want to return home safe and sound.

An edited version of this article was published in the Dominion Post on November 4, 2010 page 8-D as You think you're mad at cyclists?.

Aira Burkhart is a member of the Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board.