» Biking and driving better

Just before a flood of clashes between bikers emerged from across the country this summer, I wrote this post on the observed tension. After reading numerous news stories and widely-discussed blog entries I’ve found that an interesting and heated debate has formed. While the press would like to cover this tension as a ‘war’ between two and four wheelers, I feel this is a gross oversimplification.

The recent clashes between bikers and drivers in Portland and Seattle have become major news headlines and with each subsequent incident the fear in both parties grow. As a driver, if I knew nothing about biker culture(of the pedal sort) and saw the news coverage of bike mobs smashing into cars and beating innocent people then I would be afraid. Even a Hummer with a brush guardcouldn’t stop a mob. On the contrary, I’m frightened now riding my bicycle to and from work when I have to replay all the news stories in my head.

Am I going to be a victim of the next random act of violence?

Rather than approach each ride with paranoia and looking for drivers to blame I think it would be wiser and more productive to follow traffic, stay visible, and enjoy the ride. A new design of our transportation system to increase safety for bikers is a good idea, but in the meantime we might as well redesign our attitudes on the road by relaxing and being more responsible.

In so many other countries, people share the road as a system and honk, wave, and flash their brights as a preventative form of communication on the road. Most people I see on the road in the U.S.(with the exception of truck drivers) respond to these signals by taking offense.

What is causing us to all to be so on edge behind the wheel?