So true that car dominance and aggression are a cultural norm at this
point. In the early days of the automobile, people questioned a car's
priority on the roads. Roads used to be for PEOPLE – kids playing, people
on bicycles, pedestrians of every age – 8 to 80 outside.
We are far from those days when it was automatically negligence if a car
hit a person and manslaughter if killed a person. There were courtroom
debates over whether cars were inherently evil. Then pro-automobile
industry came up with "jaywalking" to shift the blame, and more and more
people got cars. Now all a motorist has to say is that they didn't see the
person and there's no criminal charge.
At the Bicycle Coalition we hear stories all the time of people's injuries
– on bike, walking, and recently a wheelchair incident in Portland with no
penalty for motorists. Not even a speeding ticket. Speeding is a huge
problem in Maine especially on rural roads where people drive like it's a
highway.
Society created this condition, so the hope is that we have the power and
will to change it, and WSMAC is part of the movement for change.
Thanks to everyone for participating in this!
On Mon, Aug 27, 2018 at 4:38 PM, John Brooking <johnbrooking4@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I agree with you, Carson. We've had 100 years of car mentality in this
country, and I can see it in the attitude of some motorists who obviously
believe that I should not be where I am on the road on a bicycle. Motorist
entitlement is a phrase heard frequently in cyclists' discussions about
motorists. I think it's also evident in the expectation of some motorists
that even when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk, they should hurry to get
across as fast as they can, to keep from holding up the cars any longer
than necessary. Someone said as much in a recent Facebook discussion,
albeit noting that he was "just kidding". But I think many pedestrians even
believe this, as they scurry across as if they are intruders in "car
space". And twice now over the years, I've had another cyclist chastise me
severely for taking up too much of the travel lane on my bike. Both times
were out by the mall, in a narrow lane with no shoulder, where the law
permits me to ride in the middle of the lane. We do this to encourage
motorists to change lanes to pass us, instead of inviting a same-lane
sideswipe
by riding at the edge of a narrow lane. But some cyclists are convinced
that doing so is just too "aggressive" and "makes everyone hate us". A
bicycle advocate named John Forester uses the term "cyclist inferiority
complex", to describe the attitude held by much of society, including many
bicyclists themselves, that cyclists have less right to the road motorists
do. I don't know if anyone talks about a "pedestrian inferiority complex",
but I suspect that's a thing too, in my observation.
On Mon, Aug 27, 2018 at 3:59 PM Carson Wood <cwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In my opinion, the white elephant in the room has always been driver
attitude.
We can improve infrastructure and put up signs until the end of time
but, these actions being well intented are still suggestions to drivers
that they change.
*From:* wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On
Behalf Of *Carson Wood
*Sent:* Monday, August 27, 2018 3:30 PM
*To:* wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [wsmac] Re: Kid's Safety Day and Bullying
I’ve had a car slam on its brakes, schreeching the tires to terrorize me.
*From:* wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On
Behalf Of *John Brooking
*Sent:* Monday, August 27, 2018 3:10 PM
*To:* wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [wsmac] Re: Kid's Safety Day and Bullying
I think it's an important enough issue to incorporate, but I wouldn't
want to focus on it so much that people get confused about our core
mission. One possible point of intersection is bullying of people on foot
or bicycle by car drivers. I don't know how much of a problem this is for
people who walk more, but as a bicyclist, I occasionally experience
harassment from drivers, ranging from people just yelling stupid things at
me from their car ("you got a hemi on that thing?!"), up to more
threatening behavior like honking repeatedly, yelling at me to get out of
the (expletive) road or onto the sidewalk, or intentionally "buzz-passing"
me.
On Mon, Aug 27, 2018 at 2:33 PM Mr. and Mrs. Michael Tarbox <
dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I just saw on news story on a 6 y.o. beaten by bullies. I know our
committee focuses more on transportation but how would you feel about our
committee including an anti-bullying campaign at the Kids Safety Day? My
oldest and I were bullied walking to and from school and on the bus. I
think it could easily be combined with the transportation aspect. Thoughts?
Kim
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