Thunder Thursday: Clouded Judgement
Februrary 23 is a day of birthdays and deathdays. Birthdays include my father, a middle school friend, and one of my favorite artists.
Deathday refers to the anniversary of someone's death. This day in 2006, a young girl was killed in an auto accident because of careless, reckless, drunk driving. Today was commemorated by the culmination of a 4 day, 400 mile bicycle ride from Orlando to Tallahassee. The Geico sponsored Road Safety Bicycle Tour, hosted by the Dori Slosberg Foundation.
A friend of ours rode in the ride and this morning we rode the tandem bike out to greet and ride her into the capitol where there was a press conference to be held.
Because of mechanicals and strong headwinds. The team was still in Monticello and unable to make the press conference on time at noon. The team leader decided to drive a couple riders into town and mock ride the last 2 miles to the capitol building for show.
A large group of local cyclists were gathered and waiting at the meet-up point and from there we rode with the two escorted team members to the capitol building.
At the press conference, Rick Scott was late, but said a few words. Our friend also spoke. She held up a photo of a fellow cyclist who was killed while riding with his son. He was struck by a driver who was turned around fussing with her baby in the backseat while driving.
A lot was said about driving safely, but I feel there should have been more of a point about encouraging cycling instead of driving. Only after someone has rode the roads do they alter their driving habits if they continue to drive. Drivers who have never been on a bicycle, or have only rarely, have no idea what it is like to share the road with cars.
What is even more strange is the disparity between driving and biking. It is merely a form of transportation. We are still all human. Riding a bike is sometimes a choice, sometimes a necessity. Driving is a luxury. But with this luxury comes responsibility. Do drivers openly mock or harass pedestrians who are walking? Probably not because pedestrians have sidewalks. But not every road has a sidewalk. Not every road has a bike lane either. Maybe drivers would respect people on bikes if there were more bike lanes. Maybe not.
People are simple. Roads are for cars, sidewalks are for people. But where to bikes belong? On trails? Most trails are recreational. We want to get around town too. If we ride in the road we get harassed by cars. If we ride on the sidewalk, we are endangering pedestrians. I guess the answer is bike lanes, but the cost of creating that infrastructure everywhere is prohibitive. Or is it?
We are all taught in kindergarten to color within the lines. This rationale must apply to transportation in light of the human mind wanting to categorize and organize things in their rightful place. Things that are out of place cause tension. Bicycles on the road are in the line of cars. Bicycles on the sidewalk are in the line of pedestrians. Bicycles need their own line to safely travel within without harassment or endangerment.
The other option is for cars to have ignition breathalyzers or minimum IQ assessments, or distraction eliminators. Or for all the cars to be recycled into automated transportation pods and freedom of transportation to be limited to walking and cycling. What do you think?
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