So often bicyclists shame each others’ riding behavior, not because it’s dangerous, but because it somehow presents people on bikes in a negative light. To accept this line of logic, we must assume that as riders we’re all committing a political act of obedience, asking for approval and safe passage from the dominant drivers of metal Priuses and SUVs.
I’ve always loathed this rationale, as well as the one that says cycling should be as bland and boring as possible, shunning eccentricities for fear of making our world seem inaccessible. Guys who customize hotrods for auto conventions don’t deter soccer moms from driving mini-vans. Nobody polled as to why they don’t ride cites an abundance of freaks as their reason for steering clear from the bike life.
@Gromit801 @BikePortland And for the record, I am a cyclist who often thinks other cyclists behave disrespectfully and dangerously.
— ZM (@redmenace42) September 24, 2014
Never more self-righteous than when policing our own.