Got this from another list - subject is "How to get
respect - or at least road space - from motorists."
>Just got this off the NBDA list. Made me cry...from laughing. Might
be a
>good interim tactic for those still working to pass 3' (or 5')
passing laws.
>
>Sue
>
>For those of you outside the Hub (Boston, Brookline, Cambridge,
>>Somerville), this was in the City Weekly yesterday. For the rest
of
>>the
>>week it will be on the web, complete with a photo:
>http://www.boston.com/globe/weeklies/city/
>>I thought that this is one of the best articles on cycling to
have
>>appeared in the Globe. It also strongly supports MassBike's
desire to
>>get government agencies to push the Share the Road message.
>>ALTERNATIVE COMMUTES
>>
>>>From Hull to the Hancock
>>
>>Trying to get a four-wheeler's respect, on a bike
>>
>>By Joe Berkeley, 6/8/2003
>>
>>As a commuter cyclist who frequently makes the bone-chilling
ride
>>from Hull to the Back Bay, I do what I can to protect
myself.
>>
>>
>>I purchased a headlight system with optional flashing taillight.
A
>>neon-green jacket also increases my visibility.
>>
>>However, I had a problem beyond visibility: How to be liked
by
>>motorists.
>>
>>While most of my fellow travelers behave in a professional
and
>>predictable manner, a minority do not. Some become enraged that
I
>>occupy up to 18 inches on the far right side of the lane. Drivers
of
>>trucks, commercial vans, SUVs -- even compact cars toting four
to
>>five hormonally driven youths -- have all at one time or
another
>>hollered at me, uttered oaths that couldn't be repeated in a
family
>>newspaper, and questioned my sexual preferences with the
enthusiasm
>>of a lynch mob.
>>
>>I theorized that if I proved to this group of angry motorists
that I
>>am not some freak clad in spandex, but a regular guy, just like
them -
>>- someone who shares their pain, understands their challenges --
I
>>would extend my life expectancy. But how? Finding an American
flag on
>>a roadside one day, I fastened it to my rear rack and
started
>>pedaling madly. The theory of this experiment was ''You, Mr.
Chevy
>>SUV driver, are an American, and I am an American. We have a lot
in
>>common. From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans . .
.''
>>
>>The angry drivers were just as angry, just as nasty, just as
likely
>>to question my patriotism. Down came the flag.
>>
>>Having spent an enormous amount of time riding past vehicles
that
>>later pass me on the commute, I have observed the following
stickers
>>on the back windows of those most likely to yell at me:
>>
>>''I am the NRA''
>>
>>''Go Sox''
>>
>>''Semper Fi''
>>
>>Using my desktop publishing skills, I mocked up similar signs to
fit
>>on the back of my bicycle. Before posting them, I showed them to
a
>>noncyclist co-worker named Kevin.
>>
>>We decided that the ''I am the NRA'' sign could lead to a
shooting
>>incident. Mounting a shotgun rack on the back of my bicycle would
add
>>an air of authenticity, but the added bulk would be
problematic.
>>
>>The Red Sox approach was also complex. When the Sox win, sure,
I
>>could be given a bit more respect on the road. But what about
when
>>the Sox lose a close one? One bad bounce and I could be driven
off
>>the road. Until the Red Sox win a World Series, this idea was on
the
>>back burner.
>>
>>''Semper Fi'' appeared to be a strategically sound approach.
Everyone
>>loves a Marine, so that's good. Marines know how to kill people
who
>>mess with them, so I could inspire fear. However, what if a
real
>>Marine saluted me in traffic? I would be a fraud. Back to the
drawing
>>board.
>>
>>I knew I had a winner on my hands the second I penned it:
>>
>>''Ex wife got car''
>>
>>''Yeah,'' my co-worker Kevin said, nodding his approval.
''Pickup
>>truck guys are always mad at their wives.'' One Friday evening,
I
>>tested my inspiration, affixing it to the back of my bicycle.
Guess
>>what I got: an abundance of knowing smiles from my core audience
--
>>angry men driving pickup trucks, hormonally enraged young
men
>>traveling in packs while crammed into small cars, homophobic
van
>>drivers, as well as petite women in gargantuan SUVs.
>>
>>I got plenty of thumbs up, too. And nods of approval.
>>
>>One morning, a plumber and his sidekick rolled by in a rusty
pickup.
>>The sidekick rolled down a window, nodded sagely, and said,
''Yeah,
>>and I bet you're still paying the insurance.''
>>
>>Other men have said, in family newspaper-speak, ''I have
been
>>similarly imposed upon.'' And a few women have actually pulled
over --
>> not to hit me, but to hit on me.
>>
>>Most importantly, all of the drivers who can actually see where
they
>>are going are giving me another inch of room on the road. You
can't
>>ask for more than an inch.
>>
>>Drivers who can't see where they're going, like those helming
the
>>Grand Marquis Presidential editions or Cadillac Broughams, just
keep
>>steaming along as if I didn't exist.
>>
>>You do what you can in this world.
>>
>>Joe Berkeley, a creative director at Hill, Holliday, always wears
a
>>helmet while riding. He says his wife is not amused by the
sign.
>>
>>This story ran on page 1 of the Boston Globe's City Weekly
section on
>>6/8/2003.
>>
>
>
>
>Sue Knaup
>Executive Director
>Thunderhead Alliance
>928-541-9841
>http://www.thunderheadalliance.org
>P.O. Box 3309
>Prescott, AZ 86302
>
>-----------------
>The Thunderhead Alliance is a coalition of state and local bicycle
advocacy
>organizations representing all cyclists and future cyclists.
>
>The Thunderhead Alliance seeks to strengthen, create and unite state,
>regional and local bicycle advocacy organizations.
>
>www.thunderheadalliance.org
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