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Times are tough. Well not really that tough, but every once in a while the balance is upset and people start to raise their voices. I\u2019m talking about the recent \u201cAlleged violent road rage assault on downtown Vancouver cyclist<\/a>\u201d story on CBC<\/span> and VanCity Buzz<\/a>. Th<\/span>e same story that has been flying across the social media scene these last few days.<\/span><\/p>\n After reading the pieces, I decided to read the comments sections of these news articles.\u00a0 I know, my fault – but this is where I feel that one seems to get the raw unfiltered consciousness of base society. Consequently, it is also the place where people write the most awful, ignorant, and rude things.\u00a0 Things that one would assume others would never admit in person, but do so online anyway and are happy to have their name appear beside it.<\/p>\n On this particular news article there were two sides, basically those for and those against cyclists. As one would assume, it was those commenting \u201cagainst\u201d which were the scariest. It seems that there is a vocal portion of the population that believes that cyclists deserve to die or get injured simply for being a cyclist. That\u2019s pretty harsh, considering it\u2019s just how a particular person decides to get from A to B.<\/p>\n How did this happen?\u00a0 Well, I think it happens through bad information and beleive it’s time we address the four most common complaints about cyclists by drivers:<\/p>\n Item 1 – Cyclists don\u2019t obey the rules of the road. <\/b><\/p>\n This gets thrown around a lot and is my favorite. The main question is \u201cWhat are the rules of the road?\u201d Formally, in British Columbia, the rules of the road are learned when one get their drivers license. This involves reading a little book put out by ICBC (Learn to Drive Smart<\/em><\/a> Driving Guide) and passing a multiple choice test. Most of the Guide contains basic things like road signs and hazard perception checklists.<\/p>\n Very good for someone who is driving a car, but what if one is on a bike?<\/p>\n Basically the same rules apply, but there are rules of engagement that need to be considered. The rules regarding bicycles are a scant few pages (mainly, pg 85-88) plus a short description of what a bike lane is on page 53.\u00a0 That\u2019s all.\u00a0 That is all the officially mandated bicycling education that exists for British Columbia. For everyone.<\/p>\n Knowing that there are so few pages dedicated to all bicycle-car relations, who can honestly say they ‘know’ the rules of the road?\u00a0 Drivers don\u2019t know what to do, and cyclists don\u2019t know what to do.\u00a0 This is even more problematic given that some cyclists don\u2019t even have drivers licenses.\u00a0 Luckily, the rules of the road are pretty intuitive and the majority of the rules apply to anyone<\/em> using the road. This is why there is not wide spread chaos on the streets every day.<\/p>\n That being said, it is becoming very clear that the streets are becoming more multi-modal. For many of us in the younger generations, driving personal vehicles is already less attractive than in generations past.\u00a0 Many don\u2019t even see the point of getting a drivers license. This does not mean that all of the latter are becoming cyclists specifically, but it does highlight that there are a growing number of people who will never see ICBC\u2019s Guide(s).\u00a0 Everyone uses the street. Sidewalks are part of the street. So where are people supposed to learn the rules of the road?\u00a0 Every single person who leaves their house needs know these rules.<\/p>\n Currently, there is no system for disseminating this information besides Elmer the Safety Elephant<\/a> and the excellent, but not mandated, BikeSense Guide<\/a>. In the absence of a strong cycling infrastructure network, such as separated bike lanes the will make the rights-of-way more defined, this will clearly need to change as we march forward as a multi-modal society.<\/p>\n Item 2 – Cyclists are rude.\u00a0 One even yelled at me!<\/b><\/p>\n It\u2019s true. Cyclists yell at drivers. Cars have horns so the people driving them don\u2019t have to yell at people – and despite this, drivers still yell at cyclists (and pedestrians!). As referred to in Item 1<\/em>, the fact that no one knows what\u2019s going on in traffic results in a lot of confusion….and, thus, yelling ensues.<\/p>\n More often than not, the reason cyclists yell at someone is because they almost got maimed or killed.\u00a0 Cyclists typically don\u2019t go around yelling at random strangers for no reason. Like everybody else, these people are just trying to get to somewhere in one piece.<\/p>\n In car-bicycle altercations, cars win roughly 100% of the time. Cyclists are largely unprotected and all the road rules in the world will not prevent them from being squished by an inattentive driver. \u00a0Some would say that this is the risk that cyclists must accept. But, is it fair that someone should have to accept responsibility for being killed or injured by a driver who wasn\u2019t paying attention?\u00a0 There\u2019s some pretty creative logic at play there.<\/p>\n In many cases, it may seem like a cyclist is wildly overreacting.\u00a0 It is also true that in most cases, a driver doesn\u2019t even know what the problem is because they are completely unaware that they almost killed someone.<\/p>\n So who is this yelling person?<\/p>\n It\u2019s the person you didn\u2019t know you almost killed, Mr.\/Mrs. Driver. Given the latter, it seems reasonable that they will be pretty mad and yelling.\u00a0 They may even slap your car! But consider yourself lucky, if you had killed or injured them, sure they wouldn\u2019t be yelling at you, but you’d be in for much worse. You got off easy, let it go, apologize, and pay attention.<\/p>\n Item 3 – That cyclist wasn\u2019t in a bike lane.<\/b><\/p>\n Refer to Item 1.<\/em>\u00a0 There is nothing that says that they have to be.\u00a0 Some freeways have signs that say \u201cno bicycles\u201d quite clearly and for good reason. But other than that, the streets are fair game. Just like any other road user, cyclists operate their vehicles for conditions. Bike lanes are the first things on the road to become obscured. They can also be dangerous because they often run along a parking lane. Ask your local cyclist what a door-prize<\/a> is and you\u2019ll understand.<\/p>\n Bike lanes are new. There are a multitude of different types, and their operation is certainly more complex than the paragraph on page 53 of ICBC\u2019s guide book would have you believe.\u00a0 Currently throughout most of Canada, bike lane networks are primitive and simply do not take cyclists where they need to go.\u00a0 This will improve as these networks evolve. But for now, insisting that a cyclist has to stay in a bike lane is like saying that cars have to stay on the freeway. It doesn\u2019t make sense. No one will get where they need to go….which is why we have roads in the first place.<\/p>\n Item 4 – Cyclists don\u2019t pay taxes so they shouldn\u2019t be allowed on the road.<\/b><\/p>\n Check with your local government on this one. Sure, cyclists don\u2019t pay gas taxes.\u00a0 They don\u2019t use gas!\u00a0 However, criminals aside, everyone pays taxes that contribute to different infrastructure projects (including roads).\u00a0 Millions of dollars get poured into highways and car-related traffic devices, and everyone pays for them. It\u2019s not a question of whether we need roads. Of course, we do. We all do. They are essential for emergency services and the movement of\u00a0 goods. But there seems to be a large misunderstanding on who pays for these things.\u00a0 We all<\/em> do, so we can all use the road – see Item 3<\/em>. Would you say that a pedestrian isn\u2019t allowed to cross the road because they don\u2019t pay gas tax?<\/p>\n Moving Forward<\/b><\/p>\n In closing, much of the animosity towards cyclists happens because they are an easy caricature. It\u2019s easy to say that \u201csome low life vegan hipster punk\u201d blew through a stop sign, and to attribute that label to everyone who uses a bike. Lots of different people use bikes. Many cyclists have drivers licenses, and drive cars in addition to cycling. The \u201ccyclist\u201d everyone seems to be mad at, is a fiction.\u00a0 He\/she is not a collective.<\/p>\n