Oregonian ‘green’ reporter “too scared to saddle up”
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on May 23rd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
“Here in the thick, nervous mainstream, some of us may even be convinced that biking to work would be healthier, cheaper and better for the environment than the typical car commute. We just don’t do it.”
–Shelby Wood in the Oregonian
It’s a problem some of you reading this might be facing right now.
You want to be “green”, reduce your carbon footprint, get in shape, avoid gridlock, and join the exciting, sociable, sustainable, two-wheeled, human-powered transportation revolution.
You know going by bike is a great way to get around the city. Heck, these days it seems like everyone’s doing it. Yet you still leave the bike at home.
The reason? Fear.
Shelby Wood, a reporter with the Oregonian who covers the green beat and writes the PDXGreen blog, can relate. She published an article today that lays out the top three reasons she doesn’t ride to work:
- Fear of being killed or maimed by a car or truck.
- Fear of being killed or maimed by something I do that causes me to slam into a car or truck.
- Fear of arriving at work, or back home after work, stressed out by spending 30 sweaty minutes trying not to get killed or maimed by a car or truck.
Wood (and the “thick, nervous mainstream” she says she represents), are a challenging subject to bike advocates and planners. She leads an earth-friendly lifestyle, she loves bikes, she’s fit, and she actually wants to ride more for transportation. Yet even she hesitates.
The “interested but concerned” riders that Wood symbolizes are in every PowerPoint and presentation on bike safety given by PDOT bike planners. Everyone who works on bike issues, it seems, are trying to figure out how to get more of them to ride.
— and no fear — ahead.
Some of their solutions so far include developing more safe, low-traffic “bike boulevard” streets, arming citizens with information and maps on biking, and pushing forward with innovative measures (like bike boxes and painted lanes) to increase visibility and awareness between bikes and cars.
But even these measures might not be enough to persuade the masses to go by bike.
Wood’s fears may seem misplaced to some, but perception reigns (and it’s also very hard to change).
Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet to alleviate the fears that accompany the prospect of riding a 30 pound bicycle mere inches from fast-moving, massive, multi-ton cars and trucks.
It will likely take a “thousand tiny cuts” approach to move beyond this fear syndrome. It won’t go away until we begin a massive re-purposing of our public right-of-way, or until we invest more in safer bike facilities, or until politicians take the bike advocacy reins and force real change.
On a smaller scale, there are lots of things existing riders can do to help change the culture of fear around biking. A great first step is to become a biking buddy to a friend who doesn’t yet ride. Encourage them, show them the ropes, and eventually they’ll go from “interested by concerned” to “enthused and confident.”
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May 23rd, 2008 14:09
RE: Jonathan's recommendation for cyclists to be a bike buddy:
Portland Office of Transportation's SmartTrips Downtown project has created a Bike Champions program where we've recruited downtown bike commuters to encourage and assist their co-workers to give biking a try.
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=47302&;
I formerly worked at Southeast Uplift where we had a Bike Buddy pilot. The people we did partner up had a good experience, but it was very challenging to recruit would-be cyclists.
That is partially what we like about Bike Champions, as one already has some level of comfort with their co-workers.
May 23rd, 2008 14:15
This is the ONE AND ONLY ISSUE facing bicycling. All other issues are either connected to this one or would go away if more people rode.
If you want to see more people on bikes, your task is clear, yet difficult: Make it safer to bike.
Where's the threat coming from? People who drive. Yes, it's that simple. People who bike can and do cause themselves and others harm, but the level of risk and the level of harm from drivers dwarfs all others.
How do we make sure drivers behave more safely around bicyclists? Glad you asked:
1. Much tougher penalties for injuring or killing vulnerable road users.
2. Much better enforcement of existing laws that drivers routinely break to endanger the lives of bicyclists (e.g., speeding, passing too close, passing illegally, failing to yield to a rider in the bike lane).
3. Better education of drivers.
4. Better bike-specific infrastructure.
May 23rd, 2008 14:31
We're reaching that tipping point now (at least in Portland) where cyclist have sufficient numbers to truly influence transportation policy at every level. Shelby's concerns are exactly why I lean more and more towards John Forester's thinking.
http://www.johnforester.com/
Cyclist need to be thought of, planned for, and act like vehicles with equal rights to the road.
In the meantime, what if all residential streets had a maximum ENFORCED speed limit of 20mph and high traffic through streets of 35mph? Would that make the fearful more likely to venture out?
And fellow cyclist please, please, stop blowing through stop signs. I've been watching more closely the last couple weeks and a lot of you are being very naughty and giving the rest of us a bad rep.
May 23rd, 2008 14:40
a.O. -- The other facet, though, if we "really want to see more people on bikes," is to stop making it so easy, cheap, and convenient to drive everywhere. I really think we can accomplish both of those goals (improving bike safety and making it less alluring to drive) with some of the same techniques, like keeping bike boulevards as through streets for bikes, but erecting physical obstacles (e.g., planters) every five blocks that keep cars from driving through.
May 23rd, 2008 14:45
Wood’s fears may seem misplaced to some, but perception reigns (and it’s also very hard to change).
It's NOT a perception, it's a reality. Biking in this city is undeniably a dangerous thing.
JJ
May 23rd, 2008 14:46
Jeff, I don't think it's a zero-sum game. That is, I think we can have safe streets without restricting access to the streets by motor vehicles.
That said, I fully support requiring motor vehicle operators to pay the vast costs of the negative externalities of that mode of transportation that have thus far been pushed off onto the rest of us.
And I think the end of cheap motor vehicle transport is an inevitability anyway. Peak oil will arrive soon if it hasn't already. Demand, particularly in Asia, will continue to increase without the supply to meet it. As a result, prices will rise exponentially.
But if people keep driving like they do, without the consequences that behavior deserves, even a few people in motor vehicles will still do a lot of harm.
May 23rd, 2008 14:50
While I hate to include myself with the snobby, elitist view that in which cyclists sometimes find themselves, you have to just "get over it". The trip of a thousand miles begins with the first pedal. Here's my plan/suggestion: (for the supremely paranoid/afraid to die folks)
1) Pick a course beforehand.
2) Ride the course *on a weekend*. Get a feel for the path with less traffic.
3) Repeat the ride on a commute day. Compare traffic/lighting/etc. Give yourself as much time as you need to feel safe over getting to point B on a schedule.
4) Rinse and Repeat, gaining confidence and increasing your speed to something comfortable that keeps you safe.
For the truly paranoid, try *walking* the course first. or get a buddy to ride with (someone either as scared as you, or someone completely fearless).
If your path chosen turns out to be too hairy for you, find another path. Don't assume the most direct route is the safest or the fastest. The freeway is direct and fast, but not for you on a bike.
I don't know what makes people in cars think they are much safer than on their bikes. I feel safer on my bike because of maneuverability issues (slower speed being chief among them).
May 23rd, 2008 14:52
Amen, Mmann!
The last two times I have driven to work due to appointments requiring my car I almost killed two riders. The first time, fixie rider blew the stop sign at NW 14th and Johnson, crossed a 35MPH street as I was turning left at that intersection. Thankfully I had slowed for the turn and the anti-locks worked as advertised. Three days later at NW 16th and Johnson, hipster girl blows the stop sign going east as I am turning left on 16th. I slam my brakes to avoid carnage and little sweetie flips me the bird as thanks for not killing her.
As a cyclist, I find the behavior of many Portland riders stupid and shameful. I can only imagine how non-riders feel about our community and concerns when confronted with the same idiocy.
May 23rd, 2008 14:53
I think this issue explains a lot of the gender disparity in bike commuting. Women are more likely to worry about the safety issue and ride with a buddy.
Bike Boulevards seem so incredibly safe to me, I think that's gotta be where a lot of money goes. But only if they connect well and cross scary traffic better.
As for saying "drivers are the threat" - I don't think that's a productive way to think of it. This animosity between driver and cyclist I think adds to the danger. I'd really like drivers to see me and think, "Yay! One more person I don't have to compete for a parking spot with!" rather than "self-important cyclist clogging up my street!" Drivers aren't the enemy. They're other people who live in our community.
Increasing penalties when a cyclist is injured is probably not going to be any more deterring than, you know, being responsible for hurting someone. I think more important is to have penalties when unsafe behavior (of both bicyclists and motorists) is engaged in and no one gets hurt - engaging in unsafe behavior without negative consequences lets people believe it's not unsafe behavior. I don't know that we can do that without putting more cops on the streets, but it's probably something someone with more education than me should consider.
May 23rd, 2008 15:00
I echo Mmann's comment about stop signs. While I witness a number of cyclists blowing them at speed, it's more how the autos react to me. Frequently, drivers will slow and stop when they have the unambiguous right of way. They appear to drive as if they fully expect me to blow the stop sign. This kills my rhythm and generally adds complexity to what should be simple. I absolutely do not blame motorists for these actions. They have clearly been conditioned and are simply trying to be safe on the road.
In a dream world, I'd love to see the bike boulevards include car diversions and the like so that only super local traffic will exist on those roads. A perfect execution of this is Milvia Street in Berkeley, CA.
While not a bike boulevard, 16th has such a diversion at Tillamook in NE. It's a nice way to roll when the kids are along, even without them, I'll opt for this.
May 23rd, 2008 15:06
This is simply a symptom of the failure of the driver ed curriculum for not including bike ed.
May 23rd, 2008 15:06
Stop signs:
Yeah, but I hate coming to a complete stop, having to put my feet on the ground, and then having to start up again, especially when I just lost a ton of momentum.
They're not appropriate traffic control devices, but I kind of wish we could have demand lights instead of stop signs at all the bike boulevard crossings. If there's no car coming, keep the light green and let me keep going!
May 23rd, 2008 15:06
Isn't fear, after all, the roots of ALL the problems??
Seriously, it's because of fear that people make war, and subject to government control; its for fear that people sacrifice their entire lifes in jobs they hate; and its for fear that we demand police in every corner and rules and regulations for every action.
So, it's good to create more infrastructure to make people feel safe and what not - but you know what, that won't do the job. Fear has its ways of justifying itself in the most unlikely situations.
Not only that, but it seems that the more safety you create, more fearful people become - why do you think cars are getting bigger and bigger: it makes people feel safer.
Therefore, I think we should be careful to not cater to people's fear too much, but instead campaing for people to face their fears and grow some spine. Otherwise you create a vicious cycle and any accident that happen will send people into panic (which already happens).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLzo9pOXa-s
May 23rd, 2008 15:09
Bikebillboards:
Do you remember drivers ed?
I don't.
"Check your blind spot before changing lanes." "The Two Second Rule" - that's about it.
Drivers ed isn't (in my humble opinion) enough to teach people how to drive in other car traffic, let alone the more complex multi-speed traffic that is bikes, buses, cars, stop lights, doggies running out into the street, and ice cream trucks.
If it were politically tenable, I'd say you need to pass a written test every 8 years - not just pay your $60 and get your picture taken.
May 23rd, 2008 15:11
I don't think the threat is coming entirely from people who drive. A lot of Cyclists in this lovely town make biking really scary. I've been on a bike for 20 or so adult years and the vast majority of my really disturbing close calls have been caused by other people on bikes. And the majority of those were caused by people in all the right gear.
Not everyone rides for speed, whether commuting, doing errands, etc. Too many people ride through Portland with the attitude that there is no place and no time when slowing down might be a good idea.
Peruse the forums here - anyone who gets in the way of speed, whether crossing a bridge or riding a lane or MUP, is often described with a withering list of the style or price of loser bike or lame clothing or lack of gloves or whatever.
All of which is to say, there's a very visible lot of cyclists around who don't actually want more bikes on the road. If one of them blows by a newbie who's crossing the Hawthorne for the first time or clips the handlebars of someone getting their bike legs on the Esplanade, fear may keep them off the bike without any car fear ever coming into play.
May 23rd, 2008 15:16
Of my whole commute the area I fear the most is an official bike boulevard (Ladd's addition). Despite the round abouts, low speed limits (could be lower) and numerous cyclist I have had more close calls here than anywhere else.
My point? I totally understand peoples fear. Green paint, speed bumps, stop signs, do little to curb a driver who is irritated. At some point we are going to have to give some roads to cyclist...that is not allow cars. Example: Lincoln, make it one way and give the other lane to cyclists.
May 23rd, 2008 15:18
To Mmann, Brad and Zaphod:
I blow stop signs and red lights! I do it proudly and have no FEAR about it. And I have no FEAR about what others think of me or whatever bad name I'm giving to you. Who cares?
Are cars stoping for you when they don't have to??? Good - it means that blowing stop signs works!! Let's exempt bikes from all stop signs (make it mean "yield" for bikes) and you biking an even more efficient mode of transportation when compared to cars.
May 23rd, 2008 15:19
Scoot:
What you say isn't terribly unreasonable - when I'm crossing the Hawthorne in the late morning, I usually have pedestrians to contend with on one side and speed demon bikers on the other.
On the other hand, the speed demons tend to be passing on the left - meaning they're in way more danger than I am. I almost ran someone out into the traffic on the Hawthorne Bridge because I didn't know they were coming (they didn't bother to say 'on your left'), the jogger in front of me veered to her left to pass the walker in front of her.
A cyclists hits me and I'm just hurt enough to be super angry. A car hits me and I go to the hospital. Close calls with a car are much, much scarier. And much more deterring.
That said, if I think a particular area is going to be crawling with the speed demons, I'll take another route. But there are few enough of them I can do that - it's hard to find routes that are zero car.
May 23rd, 2008 15:20
"I don't know what makes people in cars think they are much safer than on their bikes. I feel safer on my bike because of maneuverability issues (slower speed being chief among them)."
I think it has something to do with being encased in steel.
May 23rd, 2008 15:25
Scott-
YOu've got a good point. I would venture to say the majority of commuters in this town are terrible bike handlers and have little notion, respect, or understanding of how to safely negotiate city streets.
I saw some a-hole today on a bike go left around a car that was...you guessed it, turning left, into a parking garage mid-block. He had to travel into oncoming traffic to do so. I shake my head at the stupidity sometimes...
Allison, putting your foot down is an urban myth at a stop sign...brush up on your laws. All you have to show is ceased forward motion. Work on your track stand and quit blowing through red lights, you make the rest of us look bad.
May 23rd, 2008 15:25
Maybe the day will come when people like Wood, and the nervous mainstream she represents, will be more scared of death or dismemberment while driving a car.
After all, one is a lot more likely to be killed or maimed by a car or truck while IN a car or truck, than while on a bicycle.
If only we could figure out how we were all brainwashed to believe that driving was a sane, safe activity... maybe we could re-brainwash ourselves to believe the truth.
Bicycling IS safe.
Driving a car IS dangerous.
I agree, though, that bicycling would be a heck of a lot more pleasant, and quiet, without all of those automobiles roaring by.
patrick
May 23rd, 2008 15:26
Derwyn:
What sorts of close calls have you had in Ladd's Addition. I used to ride that route every day and can't think of a point along the way where I felt unsafe (and there are definitely places in the city where I feel unsafe on a bike). What are drivers doing that scares you? I'm not in any way trying to criticize you, I'm hoping there may be ways you can ride that will make you feel more secure.
May 23rd, 2008 15:27
Allison:
There is a big difference between feet flat on ground, a rolling WALKING SPEED stop, and totally blowing a stop sign like fixie riders do.
I really hope they don't revise the law to let them slide w/o brakes. It only encourages this kinda of irresponsible riding.
I'm all for an Idaho roll-stop law, though.
May 23rd, 2008 15:31
Diogo:
Please refer to Webster's and look up "yield".
May 23rd, 2008 15:32
I posted to the comments section after Shelby's article and offered to ride to work with her if she is truly interested in giving it a try. It sounds like we live in the same general part of town, and while I don't work downtown, it would probably only add a couple of miles to my commute to do this a few times. I really hope she considers it. I organize group bike rides a few times every year for my co-workers -- I supply the meeting spot, the breakfast yummies, and act as the tour guide/safety teacher, and for a few days each year, there are eight bikes at the bike rack instead of one or two, and usually about seven fewer cars in the lot. It's super fun and very satisfying. I can't recall there being any time the entire group didn't have a great time.
May 23rd, 2008 15:33
Allison, driver ed was totally lost on me too. But, at least the State TRIED.
Also, you wrote:
"They're not appropriate traffic control devices, but I kind of wish we could have demand lights instead of stop signs at all the bike boulevard crossings. If there's no car coming, keep the light green and let me keep going!"
Before automobiles, B.A., there were no traffic laws as we know them today.
Beyond VC, vehicular cycling, there's a train of neo-thought that goes something like this: Obey traffic control devices only if there's motor vehicles in the vicinity to cause a really bad bike/car meetup. Otherwise, just look before blowing the light.
May 23rd, 2008 15:35
Scoot - good observation.
We talk about Portland being like Amsterdam (a place I've never been)...so I'd be curious to see if the style of bicycle commuting is as *aggressive* in European cities as it is here. Some how I doubt it.
In as much as the local bicycle community may want to subvert the auto-paradigm of transit...the idea of speed seems to be pretty darn American regardless of the choice of conveyance.
May 23rd, 2008 15:41
Robert Dobbs,
I know you are being condescending but I actually did look up in the dictionary following up your suggestion (I often times do use words wrongfully).
In any case, what I meant to say is that bikes should not be required to come to a full stop at a stop sign OR a red light - unless he has to do it, according to the laws of physics, in order to avoid a collision.
(But I suspect you suspect you understood me in the first time).
May 23rd, 2008 15:48
J-On-Bike:
"the idea of speed seems to be pretty darn American regardless of the choice of conveyance"
You're wrong about that. In many European countries they have freeways with no speed limits. And, in Brazil people speed like MF.
I don't think that speed is such an Americna thing - but this culture of fear, hell yeah, that's toatally American.
May 23rd, 2008 15:50
I think the writer of the article in question is not being honest with herself, or her readers.
This quote betrays her- "Fear of arriving at work, or back home after work, stressed out by spending 30 sweaty minutes trying not to get killed or maimed by a car or truck."
Notice the 'sweaty' part. Icky, sweaty, ewwww. Not to mention covered in road grit and rain! EWWW!
And, you have to like pedal them and everything. It's so much harder than climbing in the car with my latte, stereo, heater, air-conditioner, cell phone, and mirrors to check my hair and make-up.
This is the problem we face folks, not 'safety' It is safer to bike than drive. It is also HARDER. I never hear this discussed amongst advocates. It is always the fear factor. No recognition of the intrinsic laziness and 'got to have it now' mentality of most Americans. No one is ever going to admit to being selfish and lazy folks. They will always blame it on fear. And no matter what is done, they will never feel safe unless they choose to.
I guess there is more money available in grants to attack safety, than narcism and laziness.
May 23rd, 2008 15:58
If Shelby Wood foolows up this article by taking an actual biccycle ride and seeing how much fun and safe it can be, and writing about it in a future column, then she has done the community a service. If she does nothing else... then I fear this article could reenforce the misconception that bicycling is a high risk activity (it is not), which can only be undertaken by certain portions of the population (cycling is something that anyone can take up and do safely.)
The article brings attention to a misconception and a viewpoint that people hold - that many think bicycling to work, school, errands is like going into battle. If she comes back with findings from some field research, then I will call it thorough journalism. If nott then it's simply planting more seeds of unfounded fear.
On another journalistic note, the article about street clothes fashion and wearing something otherr than spandex to ride a bike - last week's O, reached a number of mainstream folks - I have had people come up to me and say that the article has them riding more b/c they realize now that they don't have to suit up in other clothing to pedal a bike.
May 23rd, 2008 16:04
I guess I shouldn't point out to the article writer that by commuting to work by bike two days a week, I save a gallon of gas.
Sweaty? Big deal. And I really think the level of danger/fear you feel really depends on where you ride. I don't feel danger or fear when riding down here in Tigard, but I think I would riding in Portland.
Perception? Yup.
May 23rd, 2008 16:08
After I read Ms. Wood’s article this morning I spent my commute fuming over it and how she once again portrayed cyclists as scofflaws running stop signs, thus making the idea of joining the ranks of bike commuters even more unappealing to non-riders.
She should consider that the rider she was following in her example may have felt threatened by her following (perhaps too closely) and felt it would have been dangerous for her to pass. Therefore, he ran the stop sign for fear she wasn’t going to stop and in an attempt to keep some distance.
To that latter point, in NW Portland, it is the exception, not the rule that one will stop at a given stop sign. This goes for all vehicles including cars, trucks, bicycles, skateboards and scooters. I wonder if drivers who complain of cyclists running stop signs is a reflection of their own shortcomings and an attempt to justify their behavior.
Anyway, Ms. Wood didn’t help anything and made herself look both weak and self-righteous all at once.
May 23rd, 2008 16:09
J-On-Bike:
Your assumption is fairly correct. Bike traffic in Amsterdam, Germany and the Nordic countries runs at a fairly harmonized, mellow pace compared to here. It was nice. Everyone seems to be in a race in this country. Even bike commuters. Weird.
May 23rd, 2008 16:10
The writer is not looking for reasons to ride. Or for ways to get around her supposed fears. Or discussing things that might assuage those fears.
She is simply attempting to justify her decision to be lazy and drive. Nothing more, nothing less.
May 23rd, 2008 16:21
I'm going to hold back from second guessing and reading between the lines on Shelby's "real" issues and give her the benefit of the doubt that she's scared. But I'm with Metal Cowboy on her journalistic street-cred. Saddle up and investigate your "fears." Take advantage of the offer for company if you need to. Then write about it.
Dan Rather said "News is what someone somewhere doesn't want you to know. Everything else is an advertisement." At this point Shelby Wood has advertised her own fear. She has the opportunity to turn it into a news story. I hope she does.
May 23rd, 2008 16:23
steve, I think you are reading far too much into the motives of the author.
Regardless, even assuming *her* primary reason for not riding is laziness, the data clearly demonstrate that the *majority* of Portlanders site safety as the primary reason why they don't ride.
Perhaps someone can provide a link to that fact (I was a little surprised it wasn't linked in the story since it was referenced).
So, yes, it really *is* about safety.
And to those of you complaining about the stop sign runners: Yes, it's BS, but it's not the safety risk the people who don't ride are worried about. It's the one that kills ~43,000 people in the US each year.
May 23rd, 2008 16:24
The only true solution is the creation of a separated bikeway network which places right of way for cyclists above all other mechanized transport. We must build and design to accommodate the weakest links in the chain.
May 23rd, 2008 16:24
Paul @ 34:
They ride at a harmonized mellow pace in Amsterdam because they live less than a mile away from work. On roads where bikes have dedicated trafficways for bikes, with bike-specific traffic signals, and bike-specific traffic laws. Roads where the cars are driving at nearly the same speeds as the bikes.
If I rode my bike at a leisurely 7mph it would take me an hour to get to work. That's an hour of riding my bike in the debris and gravel of the breakdown lane while cars tear by me at 45mph.
...
Also, riding your bike fast is fun.
May 23rd, 2008 16:31
yes, all fixie riders blow stop signs, grow up and get a clue and stop generalizing the fixies. we all know mountain bikers travel down the street the wrong direction, see how stupid that sounds?
May 23rd, 2008 16:37
Two days after the Ride of Silence, and people don't understand why the writer (and others) might be afraid to ride in traffic with cars?
May 23rd, 2008 16:44
rixtir
I hear you. I just wonder if the reason people claim fear is that they know how they, as individuals, drive and reckon everyone else does the same.
Maybe that's why people are afraid.
May 23rd, 2008 17:11
Someone (okay, a troll,) once said that a lot of cyclists in this town act like we have PTSD. And while they were trolling, they were also sort of right: When I first started bicycle commuting the rush wasn't fresh air, or exercise, or anything like that, it was simply adrenaline from risking my life. Now that I'm older and either wiser or more jaded that has gone down, but I do understand the problem...
The worst bicycle accident I've ever seen didn't directly involve a car, it involved two bicycles. (I blame cars anyways, but only because there are big and you couldn't see over/through them.) I crossed over the Broadway bridge into downtown during the morning rush hour, and I was second in line, (of at least 3 cyclists.) There was plenty of car traffic on Broadway. As I was crossing Davis the light at Burnside had just turned green and so the line of bicycles is speeding up, and the line of cars has backed up across Couch, but isn't blocking the intersection at Couch, (unlike normal.) In particular, the car in the right most lane just before the intersection has his backup lights on. And I thought that was weird, so I slowed down, and just as I would have entered the intersection if I hadn't slowed down, a guy in a wheelchair finishes crossing Broadway... I didn't see this guy until he was actually was in the bicycle lane, but I stopped in time to avoid hitting him. (And: no offense to him, he had the right of way.) The person in front of me (who didn't slow down) made it around that guy. At the same time, someone is riding west on Couch, and (I assume) sees that the intersection isn't blocked, (and that the wheelchair user, who wasn't very fast would have it blocked for a while,) and can't see the bicycles in the bike lane over the cars, and so they crossed Broadway. And so the person in front of me plows into the Couch rider at 20 mph. The person in front of me probably broke their collarbone and ended up in an ambulance. The Couch rider didn't get in an ambulance, although only walked 30 feet and eventually got a ride from the police, (I don't know to the hospital or not.)
May 23rd, 2008 17:15
Possible solution: Transit.
I would suggest a gradual approach to dealing with the problem that people are afraid of all the cars.
One tactic would be to drastically increase the number of transit riders (and *decreasing* the number of motorists). As people get out of their cars and onto busses, many roads can be redesigned and re-engineered to be car-free. As roads start to be more like car-free streets, it will be easy to get people to switch from transit to bikes.
May 23rd, 2008 17:18
AO said-
"...the data clearly demonstrate that the *majority* of Portlanders site safety as the primary reason why they don't ride."
I know they site that AO. In fact that was the main thrust of my argument. I do not believe people when they site safety as a reason to not ride. I think they are full of it, and are rationalizing away their obviously selfish choices.
Find me some people who readily admit to their faults. All I ever see are people busy explaining why their negative traits are really okay, or simply not their fault. Or that they are nonexistent.
It is not, and has never been about safety. The waistlines of our fellow citizens clearly show that. Being an American is a disease. Pretending that the symptoms are the disease will get us nowhere. As evidenced by everything that is happening and exponentially increasing all around us.
I guess I just need to find a single issue to dedicate myself to, so I can be blind to everything else. Perhaps some identity politics is the cure!
May 23rd, 2008 17:19
They ride at a harmonized mellow pace in Amsterdam because they live less than a mile away from work.
I'd like to call *B*LLSH*T* on the one-mile claim. But I don't have any citations to back up my refutation. Not that posters to this cite are prone to hyperbole or anything.
May 23rd, 2008 17:29
Matthew, I guess this begs the question: who was at fault? When a car hits a bicycle our community seems polarized against the driver and we perceive the public is polarized against the cyclist. So who's at fault in this scenario?
May 23rd, 2008 17:29
I can remember about a year ago taking my first bike ride at 9:30PM in the city. I was quite nervous because I had never done a night ride before. Now, I rather enjoy riding at night since there tend to be fewer cars on the road at that time.
I have also ridden downtown during 'rush hour' and find the experience 'not frightening' as I thought it might be. If a 56 year old guy can do it - you can do it. It's really not that bad!!
May 23rd, 2008 17:33
I'd love to ask Shelby what the basis of her fear is. Is it media coverage of bike accidents? The feeling of being exposed without the 'metal curtain' around? Things like Ride of Silence and Ghost Bikes? A personal encounter with a cyclist while driving?
May 23rd, 2008 17:50
"Find me some people who readily admit to their faults. All I ever see are people busy explaining why their negative traits are really okay, or simply not their fault. Or that they are nonexistent."
Post 17 being a prime example.
May 23rd, 2008 17:55
It took me a while to get used to bike commuting without being scared. I probably also looked like an idiot for a long time. Hell, I still make stupid mistakes.
My own relationship to lights and stop signs is weird. I never, ever, run red lights. I've discovered that I will happily jaywalk with my bike or without it, but the second I'm *on* the bike, I won't budge till that light is green.
Stop signs? I run them all the damn time. But I look first. If I can't see far enough, I do stop. If a car is coming and they have the right of way, I stop. If it's a four-way and I wasn't there first, I stop. But a stop sign in a residential road with no one coming? Pffft.
On the fear thing: I have coworkers who tell me they're just afraid. I've offered to ride with them on a weekend day or on a weekday to help them learn a safe route--only one has taken me up on the offer, unfortunately.
Heh. I'm quite the bike evangelist where I work. It's fun.
May 23rd, 2008 18:00
Changing one's mindset from exercise cyclist to commuter takes a little training. If you insist on pushing to your maximum output all the time in a commuter setting the results are going to be hair raising.
Getting along as a commuter takes a bit more patience and forbearance and recognition that you have to give way occasionally to other road users. When the waters ahead had are troubled, it's OK to grab for the brakes and let things clear up a little before heading through (if I can be allowed to mix figures).
I know those things (as do my fellow commuters I'm sure), but I still struggle to ease up on the aggression and throttle down.
It's hard to know what to do at all times though, mind reading being what it is. Sometimes the hard kick gets you clear of trouble, sometimes it gets you whacked.
May 23rd, 2008 18:22
Commuting by bike made me learn I had to leave for work on time-- unlike when you're driving, when you're on a bike, you can only put out so much energy, no matter how late you are. So I learned to leave early, get there early, get cleaned up, and relax before my shift.
May 23rd, 2008 18:46
I'm the one that said many of the posters to a certain thread looked like they had PTSD. I'm a bike commuter that was hit and seriously injured 7 years ago and recently diagnosed with PTSD, also a Veteran and familiar with the symptoms of PTSD in other people. I was just calling them like I saw them. I recently attended a talk on PTSD at my church, and was told that a person doesn't even need to be personally involved in the traumatic event to be affected, that many jurors in murder trials come away from their experience with PTSD, also many journalists. That may be the problem with our journalist in question, she may have been to one too many wrecks and become traumatized.
May 23rd, 2008 19:19
I can totally understand someone being scared to bike. I think for many people it goes like this. They are driving to work on major arteries--crowded with cars, multiple lanes, people driving fast. They think, "I could never do this on a bike. It would be so dangerous!" And probably it would. But for heaven's sake people, you don't have to bike on the major CAR traffic streets. Find yourself a nice quiet parallel side street. Not everyone has to cross a bridge or ride in downtown traffic. Isn't there some stat about how most trips are less than five miles (two miles?). Many people live/work/play/go to school in their neighborhoods, and in close-in NE and SE, those neighborhoods are easily bike-able. You just have to look for the bike route (such as a bike boulevard) instead of the car route.
A concrete example? If I drive my son to school, I drive on Alberta or Prescott and then 15th. If we bike? We go on Jarrett, then cross Killingsworth with a pedestrian light and ride on 20th. No way would I take him on Alberta or 15th, but the alternate route is fabulous.
May 23rd, 2008 19:55
I have to agree with Steve. Maybe the writer is being honest and is really scared (she states that she does run), but I think the majority of people use the "safety" card as an excuse not to ride. Let's face it, most Americans are lazy and averse to breaking a sweat, and cycling, no matter how fun, requires physical exertion.
May 23rd, 2008 20:07
I bought a bike 3 years ago to ride to work and never did it. It took my high school son to start commutting to school on it to get me motivated to ride. After he moved out I rode my bike to work (6 miles) on a Saturday and found it was doable. Since then I have ridden to work a lot. Initially with some trepidation, now woth a lot of confidence. You just have to do it, with a lot of self preservation awareness. The hardest thing is starting it. I think Shelby just rode to work in order to writ an article. She need s to do it at least 10 times before she can even begin to understand bike commutting. Her article is a diservice because it enforces a stereotypical attitude that is debunked after your experience in continual riding.
May 23rd, 2008 20:30
The hardest thing is starting it. I think Shelby just rode to work in order to writ an article. She need s to do it at least 10 times before she can even begin to understand bike commutting.
Indeed. The "safety perception" issue, whether genuine, a symptom of unwillingness to do something slightly difficult, or some combination of the two, will be best eroded when media types stop pushing the same old "it's so scarifying!" story and start pushing the far less-common "I did it every day for two work weeks and here's what I've found" report. If you're going to write a "human interest"-leaning story, make it more than some non-committal puff piece. Journalism's supposed to be about doing in-depth investigation to get meaningful, worth-while stories to the readership, right?
May 23rd, 2008 20:38
P.S.: Just re-read the story. I take back the "non-committal" remark as it seems Ms. Wood's actually going to make some effort towards it. Still, I think writing an article on commuting for a print column which isn't presented as a multi-parter and suggesting that bike commuting is scary or dangerous without having done much of it is slightly irresponsible -it'd be like me extolling the terrors of gas cooking when I'd been frightened by the woosh of flame when I'd delayed ignition for too long the first time I tried it. :)
Let's hope Shelby has a good experience and writes more on the subject as she tries out commuting seriously.
May 23rd, 2008 21:00
I'm on the fence regarding the perception of bicycling in the city to be horrifying or scary. On one hand, it seems somewhat premature to judge the act of commuting by bike to be a fearful experience for majority of the city's residents after just a handful of bike commutes. But riding into and out of downtown during heavy traffic hours can seem scary (having commuted from my inner SE apartment to my downtown office for the past 20 months, 5 days a week, I sometimes feel lucky that I haven't been serious accidents while riding in close proximity to speeding vehicles).
I feel that fear is a legitimate reason for not initiating or enduring an activity. I'm wondering, just out of curiosity, if public perception about safety of bicycling would perhaps change if there were more newbie-friendly, confidence-building beginner rides and/or instructional sessions (including traffic safety and riding etiquette) that are available to the public (and are publicized well)? I suspect that once bicycle owners (as opposed to "bicycle riders") learn more about building confidence on their bikes and are able to master the beginner steps, they would be more apt to give bike commuting a chance.
Even though I consider myself a moderately-skilled urban rider, there are parts of the city where I fear to ride--just like there are parts of the city where I generally fear when I'm Zipcar-ing (traffic jams and Interstate ramps being examples).
May 23rd, 2008 21:20
Here's what Shelby doesn't say in her article that would have made all the difference to me: 'I tried commuting to work by bike, but it was just too....'.
Unless she's saving the subject of such an effort for another column, it could be that Shelby Wood, the Oregonian all things green reporter, has not even tried commuting by bike. The knowledge she would gain by doing that could be very helpful to her readers in terms of addressing the reasonable fears and anxieties that some commute routes may represent.
The tone of her column leans a little much to the bubbly-happy side for me personally, but it is good that she brings up the topic of why people might shy away from commuting by bike.
A lot of you commenting have made very helpful suggestions and encouragement to her, to try this commute thing out. Route planning is important. She could do that on the bike on a day off work. There's the group called the Westside Transit Alliance. They help people plan routes by bus, MAX, or bike. She could call them. Coming up in July, they have their annual Car Free Commuter Challenge going on for 7 days.
May 23rd, 2008 21:58
synthcat:
I also ride to and from downtown for work 5 days a week, and I'd hardly call the traffic downtown "speeding." The lights are timed at something close to 10 miles an hour, and especially at rush hour you're lucky if you're going that fast.
Granted, it could just be my route, but I just plop myself right in the middle of the lane and haven't had anything approaching a close encounter downtown (outside of downtown is a different story).
May 23rd, 2008 22:21
Bicycling is safe, the fear is in your head
May 23rd, 2008 22:25
I used to commute by bike everyday - now I'm working from home, but my bike is still my primary mode of transportation.
Motorists were never my biggest problem or worry, bicyclists blowing stop signs caused almost every close call I've had on a bike in Portland. At least slow down folks...
May 23rd, 2008 23:10
Downtown traffic is safer/less safe depending on your route. I use the bicycle lane on Broadway because it is fast, (the cars are jammed up at rush hour, but the bicycle lane traffic is traveling at the speed of the lights,) but it isn't particularly safe. If I was going to go to the Oregonian building (1320 SW Broadway) and didn't want to be sweaty and wanted to be safe, I'd go down waterfront park and then take the lane on Jefferson/Columbia. But the first time you realize that you can (and should) just take over the center of the lane on your bicycle is a real learning experience...
And Opus: Sorry, I was mistaken, I shouldn't have called you a troll. Although, as I said, I agree...
May 24th, 2008 00:54
I love SW 4th Ave during morning rush hour. No bike lane and all the cars are going 10-15 so I am traffic. I can make every light, although sometimes the Max upsets the cascade.
When I first started riding I didn't know how to flow with traffic- I was terrified that cars would run me over so I did dangerous things like not holding my line in the lane which just made it so that when I went around parked cars I suddenly infringed upon what drivers thought to be their right of way.
There are certain streets in town that aren't all that fun to ride on and I still don't feel safe, SE 39th, 82nd etc.. and i hate riding in suburban Beaverton even with the bike lanes. Drivers In these places pass way to close.
Now I'm rambling, my point is that biking is a skill, it's doesn't come your first time, but it's easier than learning to drive. Anyone who isn't nervous the first time riding in traffic must be a natural born bomber and that's not most of us.
May 24th, 2008 06:32
I rode my bike to work for the first time yesterday (my first time riding a bicycle at all since I was a kid), and it wasn't that scary. I didn't take the most direct route, but the one that was the safest for my experience level. I think steve was right, it's just easier to tell people you don't feel 'safe' than 'it just looks like too much work'.
May 24th, 2008 07:37
steve #30. Amen man, amen. Harsh perhaps, not for me to say. If this is a legitimate fear for some, it is an irrational one. Irrational because thousands of people, day in and day out, do this, "thing", without incident.
I'm suspicious that there is an element within the cycling community who believe that ubiquitous infrastructure legitimizes the bicycle as alternative transportation. I further believe that this element started off thinking that this notion enjoyed unanimous support, but has come to realize there are other opinions held in mass-regard. One opinion that is more prolific than the element about whom I speak seems to realize is that of the bicycle being, having been, and likely always will be, a perfectly legitimate mode of transportation. It's a class issue anyway. Maybe the affluent friends of a successful journalist view the cycle as a kid's toy, but not all do.
We're being told that infrastructure needs to be built by people who own bike shops, build hand-made bikes, write bike blogs, draw salaries from bike advocacy groups, plan elections around bicycling special interest, and on and on. I don't think this is an intentional conflict of interest, anybody who even knows Jonathan Maus should know better than to lay that at his feet. Nonetheless, I still believe I see a pattern emerging amongst the supporters of infrastructure, that suggests the issue of anxiety could be a red-herring.
My speculation is completely unfair to Ms. Wood. I have no reason to suspect that she is not indeed frightened, and it is less than sensitive to dismiss her fears as a ploy. On the other hand, consider her particular case as a hypothetical, and tell me that there is not a possibility there is a little good-ol'-fashion fear-mongering going on.
I personally don't believe this fear thing, reasonable or not. From Ms. Woods, or anybody else. I don't believe it because I possess strong anecdotal evidence that there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Naturally, in a case where I believe that reality is being misrepresented, I seek answers as to why. It always comes back to, "Let's build a bunch of stuff.".
It's perfectly fine to grow the industry from which you make your living. It's not okay to use too much public resources to do it. You can't argue that without infrastructure, urban cycling will die, because the numbers grow everyday without it. Furthermore, it is asinine to route bicycles past the right-hand side of right-turning cars. This is just the kind of thing that happens when the knee-jerks, and poorly designed safety features get deployed.
The biggest threat to me everyday are the Ms. Woods and their bicycles. Safety features that take away my ability to use my judgment, and are flawed in design. Motorist hostility inflamed by the cycling community and it's sense of entitlement. Let's not forget the kids on brakeless BICYCLES with headphones blasting the soundtrack to their rock-star existence, while they navigate, and share the same public right-of-way that we all use.
Ms. Wood fears urban cycling. I fear Ms. Wood. That's a push, anyway you slice it. I simply can't support fear being a good reason to do anything. I won't support infrastructure just because that's how they do it somewhere else. I will support the urban cycling craze by getting out there on my bike, and covering real-estate. Thereby setting an example for all who would choose to leave their dinosaur-burner at home. I will never, ever, support a movement that feels entitled to encroach upon other's personal freedoms, and choices; or one that feels more entitled to public money than the people dying of exposure, and starvation in our streets.
May 24th, 2008 08:28
Congrats Israel! #67 Stick with it, find those routes that let you feel good and build confidence and you won't regret a moment on two wheels.
Hell, pretty soon you'll be singing Italian/French? opera and drafting trucks along the Indiana countryside... no wait, that's a classic scene from the movie Breakingaway. Sometimes I confuse that film for my real life - a young Dennis Quad is my best friend, we have a falling out and tearful reunion during the final race, but I digress -
Israel, just good to hear you took the first step and your candor about fear verses inertia is refreshing. Steve has me wondering how much of the "fear" issues are rationales. Not discounting the fear perception for some, just has me wondering.
May 24th, 2008 09:40
This is exactly why someone needs to take Jennifer Dill's research on perceptions associated with utility bike use and turn it into persuasive communication fit for stencils, posters and the suchlike.
There must be some other health promotion/behavioural medicine/health psychology/intervention epidemiology-types who read this stuff and think the same.
May 24th, 2008 09:46
I'd like to jump in here and give you my reasons for not cycling.
First, a little background. My two primary modes of transportation are driving my small car, and walking. I bought a house as close to downtown as I could get without actually being downtown, so that my commute would be lessened. I live 4 miles from my job. Let me also say that my interest in biking is purely for the environment - I have never liked riding a bike and I have no interest in doing so for exercise or entertainment (I get those other ways!) Ever other behavior I have in my life reduces my impact on the environment. But I still drive my car.
Let me also say that when driving, I follow every single rule of the road. When walking, I also follow all of the rules.
Soo, Why don't I bike?
1) I have a job that has alot of appointments. I also have many after work obligations that I couldn't get to without my car. (I either have to carry too much stuff or I can't get there on time) Timewise, I'm lucky in that the direction of my commute involves very little traffic.
2) I don't understand the logistics. If I were to ride a bike, When I got to work I would be sweaty. (At least my hair would, which by far to me is the worst part to be sweaty). This might sound petty, but I can't sit and work with my high stress job and have an itchy head all day. I would have to shower. I have nightmare hair, which means that in order to maintain a professional appearance, I would have to do the drying and combing etc. that I usually do at night, in the morning at my office shower. In a competitive work atmosphere, looking professional is important (at least at my job). So at any rate, my 8 minute car commute has just turned into an hour and a half (8 minute bike ride assuming I could get there in the same amount of time as my car, roughly 1 hour and 22 minutes for shower, dealing with nightmare hair, and makeup - Yes, I know that length of time seems ridiculous, but it's true). Hey, I'm just trying to be honest here.
3) The bike community has made me so angry, so many times, that I don't want to be associated with it. From the amount of times where I have been nearly forced into an accident through no fault of my own (Cyclists running lights or stop signs is usually the main culprit here), or the amount of times I have nearly been mowed down while walking on sidewalks downtown (including the one time I actually WAS hit, and the dude just kept on riding), I've been so frustrated that I can't get on board with it. Also included in this is the attitude I've seen displayed here on a regular basis.
So for me, fear doesn't factor into it. I know I would ride responsibly - I know that I'd watch out for other people making mistakes or being careless, just as I do now in my car or on my feet.
Just my two cents.
May 24th, 2008 10:52
You know what you can do with your two cents right? Try not to muss up your hair while you are at it princess.
May 24th, 2008 11:13
First, congrat's the Israel for taking that first step. I don't know about you but I still remember my first commute ride. It was only 6 miles, but when I got to work I just laid on the floor in my cube and wanted to puke. It was hard. Keep it up. It only gets better.
I can't speak to other peoples fears or behaviors, just mine...
When I was 16 I refused for several months to get my drivers license out of fear. I was truly scared to get out on the road and drive a car. It wasn't out of fear that I couldn't cope, but that the other drivers were going to kill me. That was then. Something, and I'm not sure what it was, happened in my mid 20's.
When I was 25 I discovered crotch-rockets and spent several years riding around rural Oregon at death-defying triple-digit speeds. I would get butterflies before epic 700mi weekend rides, but once riding there was absolutely no fear, even when there really should have been. I was very-very lucky on a multiple occasions.
In my 30's I discovered bicycling and bike commuting.
Now, in my 40's, fear is no longer a deterrent. I live in the exurbs (Sherwood, about 1/4 mi from the southernmost UGB) and commute to Cornell and Hwy 26. My commute takes me through rural Washington county and all the way through Beaverton. I ride fast. I ride the main arteries (Roy Rogers, Scholls Ferry, Murray). I do not fear traffic. I wear spandex. I'm a speed freak and dress like one. But... I never, ever blow red lights. I always stop at stop signs, even though many of my riding friends do not. I talk to other commuters. I've even had brief friendly conversations with drivers who could not drive faster than I was riding in rush hour. I ride to stay fit. The way I ride is largely determine by my situation, a 30mi round trip and a large appetite. Things might be different if I lived and worked close together and/or closer in toward the city, something my wife and I are considering. But at this point, I will be a speed freak until my body won't let me.
As other have mentioned, I experience drivers everyday who anticipate that I'm going to run stop signs. They'll just sit there as I approach and wait for me to run it. I stop. They go. We're all happy...and safe. One more driver isn't pissed at me.
I had two accidents while commuting. One involved slamming into and vaulting over a car at 23mph. It was the drivers fault as they turned left across my bike lane. Nobody, not even the driver contested that. Again, I was very lucky and walked away essentially unharmed, just sore. (The bike didn't fare so well, but was rebuilt and ready for the inaugural PDX LiveStrong ride 6 days later).
What really scares me today is, in fact, the lack of fear that I feel when riding. Fortunately, whenever I starting feeling scared, all I have to do is go out and ride...
May 24th, 2008 11:41
I walk, I drive, (comment #71), have you ever actually thought for a second what your route from home to work on a bike might be like?
4 miles, unless you're climbing the West Hills from Portland to Beaverton, is not so much effort that you're going to break into a major sweat. For example, riding from SE to NW is not that big a deal.
You get to work, wash your forehead and your neck with a wash cloth, throw on your office gear, and you're good to go. You actually have an office shower? What a luxury...only a dream for many bike commuters. You ever think about a change of hairstyle?
You could at least check into whether you could make your appointments by bike, and whether all those after work obligations might be arranged a little more efficiently. If you really need to carry around stuff, you can do that with a bike; on board bags and racks, even lightweight trailers.
Why do you let the idiot cyclists determine for you in part, that you just can't handle the challenge of negotiating a bike through traffic from home to work? You're missing out on some great riding weather. Look at it this way; if there's more, responsible bike riders like you say you would be, out commuting, the pressure brought to bear upon idiot cyclists to get their act together would be greater.
Whatever kind of professional you are, from what you write, it sounds like you're willing to give up too easily. How can that possibly work for you in a professional working environment?
May 24th, 2008 12:09
She is not giving up Bob. She has never tried. She is using her supposed green lifestyle, to align herself with cyclists, so she can openly disparage us without retribution.
She sounds like she would fit in over at the comment section of the Tribune nicely.
She walks, she lies.
May 24th, 2008 14:07
I know the world is out to get you and everything, steve. But you should still probably read the article before you start to tell the world how this person is an evil, lazy lier. Did you notice that she said she was about to do women on bikes so she can learn how to ride? Read the story. Jumping to conclusions doesn't help to bring the real craptastic nature of the world to light.
May 24th, 2008 14:19
Dear #71,
Pull your hair back in a neat ponytail and hop on your bike. It sounds like you're so concerned about what others will think of you at work or by being associated with the "bike community" that you're missing out on life's pleasures. As a curly haired girl who converted to bike commuting about a year ago (I ride 6 miles to work and there are no showers), I guarantee that after a week or two of riding you will love the freedom, the exercise and even the bit of well deserved sweat.
On the other hand, I'm sure the polar bears are impressed by your refined appearance.
May 24th, 2008 15:29
#71, the argument that you don't want to be part of the bike community because they continually put you in harms way doesn't hold any weight. If that were valid, then you surely wouldn't drive your car either because you wouldn't want to be part of the car driving crowd. Unless, of course, you've never had another car do anything stupid that might have put you in harms way...
May 24th, 2008 16:40
@ 78, Sure it carries weight. If driving were a voluntary, more difficult way of getting around, and it was easier for her to bike, but she wanted to give driving a try for some altruistic reason, she might nevertheless not want to be one of "those" people if drivers were commonly perceived as people who deliberately-- note I said "deliberately"-- ignore the traffic signals at intersections (thereby endangering others in a smug and misguided demonstration of their moral superiority.
May 24th, 2008 19:01
I take NW Johnson (bike Blvd) all the time and I nearly got killed - on the weekend - by two drivers not paying attention. One nearly blew a stop sign and then looked annoyed w/me for taking my right of way. The other nearly ran into me pulling away from the curb and not bothering to look til I screamed at him. It makes me not enjoy riding as much as I would like. So, she is not wrong in her observations but it is a lame excuse not to ride.
May 24th, 2008 23:46
Hummm, sounds like #71's hair in more important than the planet. It it s free country, people can make that choice, although if it was up to me, I'd skip the hour of washing in the evening, and go to bed an hour early so that I could wash it in the morning after my commute.
PS. Car drivers killed more people than terrorists last year. Have fun "avoiding" the bicycle community.
May 25th, 2008 07:39
Where does she live?
Maybe a BikePortland enthusiast could "adopt her" for a couple of weeks to commute with her and show her safe routes.
Would also make for a good story for her or Oregonian blog topic.
If she lives near me in NE Portland I would be willing to adopt her for a commute - at least part of the time!
May 25th, 2008 08:56
Perception is 9/10 of the law of reality. As someone said, these very valid fears are the #1 barrier to more people using bikes. ... Heck, cars are so out of control that even buildings are not safe. In the last year 2 bike shops have been heavily damaged. The BTA should focus on getting more of these people on bikes and more of their fearful concerns validated in public and solved in policy.
May 25th, 2008 09:44
I at first like to give people like Ms. Woods the benefit of the doubt when they cite safety as their prime concern, but as I read down her article, it became pretty clear that she's probably not all that interested in bicycle transportation/commuting. Her article quickly devolves into non-sequiturs about the supposed anarchy of the Portland cycling "community" (whatever that actually is) and her not wanting to be affiliated with it.
I agree with Steve and Vance, I don't think she's really all that interested in bicycle transportation, not to any useful extent or dedicated level. She's merely repeating the politically correct responses to survey questions that don't reflect reality. Many of these people don't really want to get into bicycle transportation, deep down they want to see other people do it (including many of our car-driving urban planners). Furthermore, when they think of cycling, they really are thinking of "bicycle riding", perhaps riding on a warm sunny day in the park with no traffic and somehow want that transplanted into their everyday commute.
Personally, I think bicycle transportation is packaged and sold to the average non-cyclist by advocates as being far easier than it actually is. I don't mean to say that's it's very difficult, but you do have to enjoy cycling and be dedicated to it as an activity to really get into bicycle transportation. To an extent you have to enjoy riding in bustling traffic, riding in pouring-down rain, getting sweaty and all the other challenges that go along with it. For many people, and for me, that's the fun part. So when people say they want to get into to it just to be "green", I just laugh.
The danger part is also silly, at least in my opinion. The only danger is that that comes from our DOT redesigning our roads and intersections to make new cyclists feel "comfortable" at the expense of eviscerating experienced cyclists' rights and increasing the real danger. Until our DOT and planners stop shooting themselves in the foot (and essentially lying to beginner cyclists) with this approach and start actually designing the streets to be as safe as possible, while simultaneously funding some bicycle safety education to instruct new riders on how to use them safely, we'll always be chasing this 60% "interested but concerned" dream.
May 25th, 2008 11:19
Slick post #76-
I was speaking to 'she walks, she drives' in post #71, not the author of the original article.
Thanks for the tip on reading comprehension and not jumping to conclusions. You should try it out sometime!
May 25th, 2008 12:09
steve you "betrayed yourself" in comment 30.
May 25th, 2008 12:35
Good, you can read! In post #30 I was without a doubt speaking of the original author.
2 gold stars for you.
Remind me what your point was again?
May 25th, 2008 12:43
Steve: seriously. Stop attacking other people for being honest.
You don't know She Walks. None of you here know what sort of challenges she faces just in getting ready for work. "Put your hair in a pony tail"? Indeed. My hair is too short for that. Maybe her hair is texturally unsuited.
She sounds like she works in an industry where there is a more formal dress code than most of us here are used to.
Get off your high horses, please. It does you no good to come off sounding like a pretentious a$$, and does nothing to further your "cause".
May 25th, 2008 13:42
Your short term memory has been effected as much as your paranoia. Check out post 76. I waited for you to carry your snarky and flat out wrong barbs through the post before I broke down and let you know how much you bring the conversation down. I usually just ignore your knee jerk negativity. For some reason I let myself read it this time. Your trash talking on everything you comment about is an enemy of biking.
May 25th, 2008 14:13
bicycling is safe in the same way that cigarets are. I've been smoking them for years and nothing bad has happened to me. -yet.
There are a ton of good reasons to bike and only one good reason not to -- It's dangerous! it's not just a "perception". bikes and cars can no more share the same road as a mouse and a snake can share the same cage.
I think the bike bulivards are great, its simple and efective, you just eliminate an intersection every ten blocks and the cars just go away on their own.
May 25th, 2008 16:30
To everyone jumping on I walk, I drive:
The comments section of this site is the place to go for some high quality condescending holier than thou righteous energy. Until every one of you Luddites gets to zero personal emissions and commits to tubal ligation or vasectomy (cause lets face it, the real environmental problem is exponential population growth) why jump on someone who just doesn’t want to ride a bike, but is still not sitting in her Hummer, listening to Limbaugh, chomping on a cigar, and laughing at all of those “enviro-nazis”?
Some people are sub-contractors and haul 200-300 lbs of gear around from one job site to another for a living. Some people are social workers with case loads of 65 or more they have to manage, and some people just don’t wanna bike. None of these people are Satan, they just can’t or won’t. Get over it. If she’s paying attention when she drives and isn’t right hooking me, I don’t have a problem with her, and I’m glad this site is getting so popular it’s pulling in non-bikers who aren’t just here to flame or threaten.
May 25th, 2008 17:43
Wow. Ninety comments. And I thought I got a lot of emails about this column.
Thanks to Jonathan for posting a link to the column, and for his thoughtful commentary. I appreciate the BikePortland commenters who challenged my take on bike commuting, too.
Just to clarify, I am gearing up to commute to work by bike. I haven't done it yet. I'm still figuring out my route, how to fix a flat, etc. Once I give it a decent shot -- six weeks? two months? how long is long enough to judge? you tell me -- I will write another column.
I'm fascinated by the commenters who don't "believe" I'm scared. I think I sound kind of dorky in the column, talking about my fears...it's not really the kind of thing a person would lie about. Also, we've got showers at work, so the sweaty thing is, truly, secondary (perhaps I should've just left that out). Peter asked, and answered, his own question...what is she really afraid of? It is, in fact, the fear of being exposed without the "iron curtain" that surrounds me when I'm in a car. Honestly, I am nervous about getting knocked off my bike or squished up against a parked car. But I am going to attempt to get over it.
Lastly, here's a link to the City of Portland data that support the "60 percent interested but concerned" assertion in the column. A couple commenters questioned where I got it from:
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=44597&a=158497
Your favorite scared (or is she just lazy?) Oregonian reporter,
Shelby Wood
shelbywood@news.oregonian.com
May 25th, 2008 19:36
Safe or not safe, perception or reality --- the fact is that once gas starts inching up past $4 a gallon and on toward $5 (maybe what it really costs to produce it, BTW) then bike riders are gonna start choking up the streets the way cars do now. Swear-to-god.
It's already happened at my house.......
May 25th, 2008 20:55
Anonymous (#88), your comment: "She sounds like she works in an industry where there is a more formal dress code than most of us here are used to."
She says as much, but why would she be content to allow the substance of her comment to be framed as an excuse for not commuter cycling rather than one of reason? Probably in part because people like the O's writer, suggest similar excuses in their writing, making that rationale, to some people, seem like an easy out.
I have an idea that commenter 'I walk, I drive' is a lot tougher and more resourceful than she lets on. She could probably work out a safe bike commute that wouldn't take that much longer than it takes to drive her car to work, at least for the better weather days. 15 minutes to drive 4 miles in a car is not that speedy. It probably would be the same time or quicker by bike. Appointments? She should at least check to see whether she could work them out by bike before summarily dismissing any thought of doing so.
One of the greater benefits of having more working people commute is the first hand knowledge they as members of the public, would have of the realities of negotiating the urban cycling infrastructures. It's much easier to make a case for improvements in that area when people understand by having been a user of that infrastructure, thereby knowing personally, its strengths and weaknesses.
If they can be persuaded to try bike commuting, people like 'I walk, I drive' could be the next wave of riders whose newly found awareness could really help to advance improvements in bike-pedestrian infrastructure. I hope we hear back from her that she's reconsidered her feelings about the biking to work, and will give it a try this summer.
May 25th, 2008 21:09
Hi all,
This is a timely and welcome thread on a topic I've been hoping someone would bring up. Like Ms. Wood, I'm new to using cycling as a primary mode of transportation around here, and I can vouch for the fact that it's pretty hairy at times, sometimes enough that I wonder why I'm taking the risk.
The bike boulevards are pretty great, whenever it's possible to use them to get to one's destination (which isn't always the case). I can appreciate those who said upthread that lots of practice is essential for confidence-building -- yet I'm also in agreement with everyone who said it's essential that we improve bike-friendly infrastructure, driver awareness and fellow-cyclist awareness alike (I almost got steamrolled by a speedy Spandexed dude on a bike the other day and only found out after relating the story to my SO that they should have said "on your left"). As far as infrastructure goes, a good first step might be for city planners to hop on bikes and try to follow the bike lane "system", and notice how often it dumps cyclists into the middle of car traffic as the lanes abruptly end.
It's also frankly intimidating not only to see all the posts on the Tribune site, etc. saying we need to take our toys off the roads and get out of the way of drivers, but to know from reading news reports how many cyclists have been deliberately targeted by raging drivers, not to mention injured or killed by careless ones.
The buddy program sounds really good.
May 25th, 2008 23:02
I think Jan #55 has a very important comment regarding route finding. I've witnessed bikers on major arterials and I imagine non-bikers make the leap that those are the routes that one needs to take.
It takes a mental shift to