What would "Christ on a bike" look like, anyway?

One thing I pride myself on is being kind, or at least polite, to pretty much everyone. It's kind of silly to believe in peace and nonviolence when your actions show the opposite. But let me tell you, that's really hard sometimes. I mean, people do dumb things, and maybe we can learn to ignore them. But if the dumb things they do actually put you in danger, the situation gets a lot more complicated.

I've been struggling with this recently. I bike in a city that's really unfriendly to bicyclists (at best), or downright hostile (at worst). There are a few scattered bike lanes, but they're full of potholes, everyone double-parks in them, and they're no guarantee you won't get honked at, doored, cut off, or have to dodge pedestrians. Every time I venture out of my (remarkably low-key) regular commute, it seems inevitable that I'll get into an argument with someone who steps out in front of me, doors me getting out of a cab, runs me into a Jersey barrier, or otherwise ignores me and my right to be on the road. Even on that commute — two miles crosstown on residential streets — I was hit last week by someone running a red light. There are legitimate safety issues — riding a bike here is a dangerous proposition. Therefore, in some ways I have every right to scream and curse at the people who do dumb and/or illegal things that put me in danger.

Sometimes I think it crosses the line of my actual safety, though, and I end up yelling at people for doing things that could be dangerous, or just generally being distrustful of and cranky at every driver and pedestrian on the road, because experience tells me there's a good chance they'll do something dangerous.

At the same time, screaming and cursing is not a thing I particularly enjoy doing. It feels bad to me, it feels bad to the person I'm yelling at, and it just adds to the number of people screaming and cursing around the world. I feel called to be a voice of peace, hope, revolution, and love; not another voice of anger. I bike because I love being able to transport myself wherever I want to go, without relying on fossil fuels or anything else; because it's the fastest, cheapest, and most convenient way to get around New York; because my very presence helps advocate for the right of bikers to share the roads; and because I feel good when I do. I do not bike because I enjoy angry confrontation and the constant threat of being creamed by a taxi.

So what, then? Is my choice between being angry all the time and giving up biking? I don't think it has to be. I made a conscious decision years ago that I am not going to let fear rule my life. I am a firm believer in the basic goodness of people — they just do dumb things sometimes.

Honestly, the streets of New York are no picnic for anyone. Driving is insane (but you're encased in steel), walking you're frustrated at slow folks on the sidewalk and in constant danger of getting hit by something (but there's safety in numbers), and even cabs are both expensive and terrifying. The big reason biking is unique is there are so few cyclists — no one expects you, even in the bike lane.

I guess I can try to focus on that. People cut me off because they're just as stressed out by the situation as I am, not because they necessarily are trying to hurt me or inconvenience me or insist that I have no right to be on the road.

Or, you know, I can always just imagine myself in a preacher collar or a habit and remember to act appropriately!

Comments

[Heather]

i was recently in chicago visiting a friend. we were coming back from a bar and encountered 200 naked people on bicycles! apparently this is a yearly thing. they raise awareness for; positive body image, the vulnerability of cyclists, ecologically sound transportation options.
i thought it was pretty cool.

[mark]

i've recently started biking in my rural/suburban community. while i suppose the traffic is a lot calmer where i'm at, there are still those who drive too close or who decide to take the right of way from me. and being a pastor (and easily recognizable in this small town) i often find myself biting my tongue or reigning in my finger. and i often try to remind myself of what you say in your last paragraph. most people probably don't do those things to be openly malicious, they just do it because they're caught up in their own lives with their own problems.
so, i ran across your blog through a link over at reallivepreacher, and i read your archives. you've got me intrigued with your writing, theology and calf tattoos. but now it seems like you've stopped writing! keep it up! the church needs to hear more voices like yours!!!

[Keith]

I clicked over from RLP's sidebar. I live in New York and commute by bicycle, and I know exactly what you mean.

We just moved from Queens to Washington Heights largely because that puts me within a few feet of the West Side bike path, which I use to get down to my freelance graphics gig on Wall Street. It's about 13 miles each way, and my total exposure to traffic is a few blocks in the 130s and a few blocks near Battery Park. With those exceptions, the entire route is isolated from traffic and completely protected.

I got doored a couple of months ago on Queens Boulevard, before we moved. Here's the blog post.

And I think you're overthinking the reason they cut you off. Most of the time, they're just not looking.

[Keith]

I guess it won't take HTML. The blog post is at http://www.journalscape.com/keithsnyder/2007-10-23-12:37