Thursday, September 5, 2013 – Tubular Hell
I love the Sudbury Cycling Grannies already – and I don’t even know them. http://www.northernlife.ca/news/lifestyle/2013/09/03-cycling-grannies-sudbury.aspx
(The above sentence is adapted from the golden retriever Dug, in the move UP. "My name is Dug. I have just met you, and I love you!")
The Cycling Grannies are inviting the public to join then at Robinson Lake Playground on Saturday, September 7 starting at 10 a.m. for the event. (The group aims to provide input to the city on road infrastructure that will increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists and encourage alternative forms of transportation.)
One of the Grannies is Ursula Sauvé and I really like her because she pops up all over the place. Anything to do with making city spaces safer for human and other-than-human animals, she’s there. (And I’ve also run into her at Curves and we are crazy beasts there, let me tell you.)
I am going to be at this event – I am on this like crows on road kill. But I want to make a counter proposal and it’s this – let children and grandfolks ride their bicycles on sidewalks.
I would LOVE to ride my bicycle to Curves, the library, my Church, and the mall. But even if there was a well-established bicycle lane – I wouldn’t use it. Why? Because the folks in well-armoured motorized vehicles can’t see me.
And most of the time, I’m one of those armed personnel. I back out of my driveway and I am on high-alert for cars and trucks, and for pedestrians. Motorized vehicles. because they’ll kill me. Walkers, because I could potentially kill them. You see, I can’t even kill a mouse; I get cats to do that for me.
But cyclists – and I am one, albeit a slow one – I have a hard time seeing them coming. And I don’t think I’m alone, and I don’t think I’m negligent. In my moment-to-moment span of time-space-energy-matter, they don’t exist. And conversely, when I am out being “energy efficient,” I don’t exist for that fraction of a second that is all it takes to maim or kill me.
My humble suggestion, as stated earlier, is that we allow little folk and old folk cyclists to use the sidewalk – but with rules. Here are my suggestions:
1. You have to apply for a sidewalk license and have it displayed on your bike.
2. You have to study and be tested for rules of “The Common Path” (the sidewalk, not a new religion.) This means things like a) passing to the boulevard on the left if there is room, or b) dismounting and walking by pedestrians.
*****
Now I understand there will always be folks who think that folks in metal plated vehicles and on aluminum tubular cycles can peacefully co-exist. There is the saying, “’Everyone for him(her)self,’ said the elephant as he(she) danced among the mice.”
Me, I’d rather be “the mouse that roared” before he/she got squashed by a motorist. And, because I’m a Senior, I am willing to risk being fined for civil disobedience. I expect I won’t be beaten or dogged or water cannoned – because if you’ve seen me ride a bicycle, you’ll know I’m not risk to anyone except myself.
Worst case scenario, I’ll end up in jail overnight. But, being a woman of “a certain age,” my sleep is the pits anyway.
Saturday, I will obey the rules of road, but come Sunday, I might just ride the sidewalk to Church. Our Church council chair is a retired policeman, and I don’t expect he’ll arrest me.
But if he does, please let him recommend that I do Community Service, and - with winter coming - let it be in Southern California as a voluntary police officer. Police officers riding bicycles are in the Golden State are exempt from such laws.
(The above sentence is adapted from the golden retriever Dug, in the move UP. "My name is Dug. I have just met you, and I love you!")
The Cycling Grannies are inviting the public to join then at Robinson Lake Playground on Saturday, September 7 starting at 10 a.m. for the event. (The group aims to provide input to the city on road infrastructure that will increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists and encourage alternative forms of transportation.)
One of the Grannies is Ursula Sauvé and I really like her because she pops up all over the place. Anything to do with making city spaces safer for human and other-than-human animals, she’s there. (And I’ve also run into her at Curves and we are crazy beasts there, let me tell you.)
I am going to be at this event – I am on this like crows on road kill. But I want to make a counter proposal and it’s this – let children and grandfolks ride their bicycles on sidewalks.
I would LOVE to ride my bicycle to Curves, the library, my Church, and the mall. But even if there was a well-established bicycle lane – I wouldn’t use it. Why? Because the folks in well-armoured motorized vehicles can’t see me.
And most of the time, I’m one of those armed personnel. I back out of my driveway and I am on high-alert for cars and trucks, and for pedestrians. Motorized vehicles. because they’ll kill me. Walkers, because I could potentially kill them. You see, I can’t even kill a mouse; I get cats to do that for me.
But cyclists – and I am one, albeit a slow one – I have a hard time seeing them coming. And I don’t think I’m alone, and I don’t think I’m negligent. In my moment-to-moment span of time-space-energy-matter, they don’t exist. And conversely, when I am out being “energy efficient,” I don’t exist for that fraction of a second that is all it takes to maim or kill me.
My humble suggestion, as stated earlier, is that we allow little folk and old folk cyclists to use the sidewalk – but with rules. Here are my suggestions:
1. You have to apply for a sidewalk license and have it displayed on your bike.
2. You have to study and be tested for rules of “The Common Path” (the sidewalk, not a new religion.) This means things like a) passing to the boulevard on the left if there is room, or b) dismounting and walking by pedestrians.
*****
Now I understand there will always be folks who think that folks in metal plated vehicles and on aluminum tubular cycles can peacefully co-exist. There is the saying, “’Everyone for him(her)self,’ said the elephant as he(she) danced among the mice.”
Me, I’d rather be “the mouse that roared” before he/she got squashed by a motorist. And, because I’m a Senior, I am willing to risk being fined for civil disobedience. I expect I won’t be beaten or dogged or water cannoned – because if you’ve seen me ride a bicycle, you’ll know I’m not risk to anyone except myself.
Worst case scenario, I’ll end up in jail overnight. But, being a woman of “a certain age,” my sleep is the pits anyway.
Saturday, I will obey the rules of road, but come Sunday, I might just ride the sidewalk to Church. Our Church council chair is a retired policeman, and I don’t expect he’ll arrest me.
But if he does, please let him recommend that I do Community Service, and - with winter coming - let it be in Southern California as a voluntary police officer. Police officers riding bicycles are in the Golden State are exempt from such laws.