I guess it’s a sense of mutually-assured destruction that governs bicyclists behavior in the City. Sometimes a car hits a cyclist, sometimes a cyclist hits a pedestrian, sometimes a car hits a pedestrian, and on it goes.
Yes, I’m a cyclist. I’m also a pedestrian. Occasionally, I’m a driver.
The fact being, that regardless of the behavior and occasional stupidity that leads to tragic incidents, in the City there is a healthy appreciation for the fact that in a Manhattan game of transportation rock-paper-scissors, you understand which beats what.
There are bicycle lanes, but we understand those are shared also – with tourists, delivery trucks, occasionally traffic, pets, and whatever detritus left by the city.
We’re all sharing the road, all sharing the City. Sometimes in a more cantankerous way than others.
Never in my life have I seen, however vitriol like that which is spat by bicyclists in DC. To this crowd, the bicycle lane is an entitlement, just as the car lanes are for cars. They shout, scream, curse, gesticulate and aggressively charge anything in their way. They post venomous tweets suggesting that cars don’t belong on the roads at all. They mock and scoff anyone who suggests there is another way to get around. They write letters to the editor. They even have a lobbying organization.
Even the Capitol Bikeshare riders.
The general principle governing their behavior is that no one else belongs on the road. Anyone or anything else is a danger to the environment, a nuisance to be run down.
I call them bike-o-terrorists.
And I’m a bicyclist. A multiple-thousand mile a year bicyclist. And I’m embarrassed by the DC bicycle culture.
I’m sure there are nice people on bikes in DC, just as there are idiots on bikes in New York.
They’re just a little difficult to find.
Rock breaks bike. Paper covers rider. Scissor pops tire.
