Glad to see the BikePgh ppl on bikes thing getting attention!
While I think that BikePgh took the right approach, i.e. the personal aspect. I think that the idea that "cyclist" is a bad word is absurd. The implication that it is somehow dehumanizing, even more so.
"Cyclist" in my opinion is a daily rider, or a club rider, or someone who likes to do a charity ride or two a year. It's an identity that we take pride in, knowing that our health has improved and that we aren't reliant on the automobile. If there's a problem, it's the connotation that to be a cyclist involves wearing spandex... even then, what's wrong with spandex? It's activity appropriate. Of course, matching club kits are a whole different scenario.
re: mentality of people. I think it's actually a carry over from car culture. Drivers were trying to intimidate other drivers long before they were trying to intimidate cyclists. It's a combination of self-righteous behavior and the frustrations of driving in our fast paced modern society. Drivers are accustomed to doing this to other drivers and tend to forget how vulnerable someone without 2000+ pounds of steel is.
One of the reasons that I ride a bike, is because I get so frustrated in the car. I hate sitting at a light for five minutes when there isn't even any traffic running perpendicular... only to stop at another light a few hundred feet down the road, and then another. Then you get stuck in traffic. You have some old man who probably should have his license revoked pull out in front of you and almost cause an accident. You get stuck behind a bus. It's frustrating, and it's important to keep that in mind. I think it explains a lot of the psychology behind the assholes behind the wheel.
Personally, I'd rather spend two hours on my bike, moving at a relatively slow pace (but always moving) then to spend two hours stuck in a car, going nowhere due to congestion. I think most people would, they just don't realize it.
2013-12-17 09:28:32