Dear DP,
I love to commute via bicycle. I ride my bike to work just about every day, which means I have to share the road with those dingy monstrous motorized vehicles. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the value of the automobile and I even own one myself. The problem is, when I am riding my bike, I get extremely angry at the vehicles that are on the road with me, like they are infringing on my territory. I wish those noisy, polluting, inconsiderate maniacs would understand that cyclists have a right to the road, too! The thing is, I do not have this problem with other cars on the road while I am driving, only when riding my bike. Alas, I have come to the realization that I have a textbook case of ride rage. What can I do to curb my anger? I want to enjoy my commute to work, not be enraged by it. I don't want to let my anger get the the best of me by doing something foolish and ending up a pancake on the road. Please help me; any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Yours,
Cantankerous Kokomoan
Como fazer um curso PHP completo?
5 years ago
4 comments:
Dear Cantankarous,
I too once road my bicycle to work and indured the rude curses of the iron clad road hogs. Just try to make a left hand turn at a stop light from the proper inside lane and see what happens. And since potholes can't be ridden through one must venture around them and into the traffic lane (never mind that bikes are allowed to use the traffic lane). Sorry to say, my solution was to value my life above the exercise and freedom of an early morning ride. Unless you can stand using the sidewalks (which is actually illegal) perhaps you'll consider returning to the safety of your armored car. But then, I am older, and give up more easily now a days. Good luck and don't forget to wear your helmet.
DP (done peddling)
Dear CK,
I don't claim to be a biker, but I have logged many-a-mile behind the wheel of my current vehicle.
First of all be visible! Wear the neon-bright helmet and outerwear so those drivers see you! Take the safest route possible!
Just by being cognizant of your strong emotions provides a clue to your 'soul'ution. Practice going to the other emotional extreme while biking - it just might help you from making sudden, risky moves. Flash those drivers a peace sign, and smile, smile, smile!
Take care!
DP
Dear Cant
While I truly value the opinions of my other DP editors, I must admit that the "Peace" sign suggested by Aunt Sue is not exactly the sign I'm use to using while peddling my assets alongside the metal monsters. LOL Perhaps her Zen mentality would do us both some good.
Peace
DP (defensive peddler)
Dear Cantankerous,
Lets consider a road bike vs. a Hummer. Even if ride rage has got you pepped up and spitting mad, you're not going to win this one. But, you've got something a Hummer owner doesn't: brains. We don't want you ending up as a pancake on the road, Cantankerous, so the question is, how can we get cars to be more friendly?
In fact, this isn't the right question at all. I have a friend, Renee, who commutes to work everyday and she grumbles about cars going out of their way to be extra submissive and overly friendly to bikes, like stopping in the middle of intersections with a smile and friendly wave, urging her to pass, but in fact these amicable drivers just end up confusing everyone on the road. A bikers dream, then, perhaps, are cars that aren't overly nasty and trucks that aren't overly, confusingly nice, but vehicles that are predictable and law abiding. This can get tricky when there's not enough designated space on the road for bikes and when drivers are ill-prepared and uneducated.
Suggested to drivers with road rage is to count to ten backwards, pop in some Bach to get the calming alpha brain waves flowing and then to pop some Bach rescue remedy under the tongue. What I suggest to you is to do the same but also keep in mind that things can change in your favor. Unlike road rage, a biker's ride rage can be channeled into making change, turning an existing bike unfriendly town into a bike friendly one. Use that anger to get political! Demand wider shoulders and get a bike commuter club going. The more people willing to get out of their cars and onto their bikes will change the entire consciousness of a city. But right now, you're a maverick, and we all know how they feel: misunderstood and alone. But, just by having people see you on the road, Cantankerous, you're setting an example, planting a seed that another way is possible. I have a feeling you're going to transmute your anger into something beautiful. And that could be a real Kokomo community legacy...
Post a Comment