(That amazing photo was taken by alexbcthompson – you can see the full set from that ride here)
For more info on the above photo check out this post on LA Metblogs, and for a well thought out contrasting opinion check out Will Campbell’s thoughts about it here. I consider Will a very good friend of mine and like him I’m not going to judge anyone for their opinions of this, for or against, though as you might suspect I had slightly different take on it than he does and I want ramble on about some of those points. Will says that rides like these are
“stunts that have the potential to do more harm than good, not only to the bodies involved, but also the efforts that strive to legitimately bring bikes out of the gutter pan and into traffic lanes.”
And he’s not alone in that thought. A commenter on the LA Metblogs posts says:
“And you wonder why so few motorists respect bicycles”
However I just don’t buy it. I don’t buy the respect issue because, well I know how a calendar works and you can’t say you didn’t respect someone last week for something they did today. Motorists haven’t respected bicycles for a very very long time and it’s absurd to suggest that is valid because of something that happened yesterday. Motorists don’t respect other motorists which is evdent by how many accidents and fender benders happen every single day in cities all over the world. When you are in a car you are in a bubble and the fact of the matter is most people are happy with the isolation and don’t realize what they are doing until they plow into someone else. Or someone plows into them. When they hit a car it gets a dent, when they hit a cyclist the cyclist tends to get the worst of it so there’s a reason cyclists tend to be alittle more vocal about motorists not respecting them then other motorists. Not because motorists have any less respect for bikes than cars, but because the stakes are higher.
Without spending too much time on this point in particular I understand Will’s concern that these kinds of things can reflect poorly on a larger group of but I just don’t beleive that hold a lot of water. It’s a traditional arguement and it sounds good, but I think it kind of ends there. Also I know that there is no changing how people act, and how people perceive those acts so what you are left with is the realization that things are going to happen no matter how you personally feel about them, so your option is to ignore them, speak out against them, or join in. All vaid routes, just a matter of what you want for yourself at the end of the day. From what I’ve seen in person and what I’ve seen online, the people who were not there have much stronger, much more negative reactions than the people who were. In comments on Metblogs I’ve seen people called names and insulted, and these actions used to justify years of negative back and forth. In person I’ve seen motorists cheering on the bike riders, chidren standing up out of sun roof windows applauding while their parents smiled and took photos, and I’ve seen law enforcement amazed and amused and decline to give out citations. My point is the assumed gut reaction isn’t aways realistic.
Sure this is an extreme approach, but sometimes it takes an extreme approach to get noticed. People who nicely follow the rules are rarely involved with changing them.
But protest and rule changing aside, it’s fun. Everyone involved enjoyed themselves and has a great story to tell. Sure it’s risky, but so is everything else. We all have to decide what risks are worth while in our lives to make us smile. Some risks we can avoid, some we can’t. Some we can embrace.
Related posts:
If I was there, I’m sure I would have fun; I ain’t one to shy away from doing things just cuz some book sez it’s illegal. And I don’t necessarily condemn this small act of livin’ because those are too few as it is. Plus, it doesn’t seem that the bikers are doing anything to antagonize drivers, which is worthy of commendation. But as I mentioned on a previous post (link below) I wonder if the macho/jock aspects of the bike kulture are going to be the defining features of an otherwise worthy goal? I’m sure that’s not the intention but for those outside this scene, even those that ride bikes, that’s exactly what we are seeing.
http://laeastside.com/2008/04/the-problem-with-bike-kulture/
I’ve been noticing signage lately on the back of MUNI buses sponsored by the SF Bicycle Coalition and the like. It reads, “Give Respect. Get Respect.”
Now *that* holds water. As a smiling, fun-loving bicyclist, motorist, and pedestrian I ask myself, “Am I working towards that goal while I’m out on the streets… or not? Because seriously, I can’t think of anything more bad-ass than that.
I like your take on it Sean. And while I wish El Chavo would tire of tossing around that lumpsum “bike kulture” blanket on all of us, I agree with him: had I succumbed to the emails I got from Alex Thompson yesterday and joined you I’m sure it would have been an exhiliration.
Maybe last year I would’ve hopped aboard and said hell yeah. As I mentioned in my post I’m evolving a bit as a cyclist. I’m putting in more miles each month than I’ve sometimes ridden in a full year — and that’s become my call to arms, my protest. Just being out there on two wheels legally and regularly is radical enough for me. It’s become more a reality than a recreation.
You’re right in that it’s not accomplishing much. As revolutions go mine’s not going anywhere. And that’s OK. I’m not out to change the world, just out change how personally responsible I am for it.
Anyway, thanks for reading what I had to say and for linking to it.