I was cycling through Oxford after 60 miles in the Chilterns. A couple were starting to cross the road. The bloke wasn’t looking where he was going, and he was going to walk into my path. His girlfriends pulled his jacket and made him stop. I smiled at the women to say thanks. As I cycled past I heard a snatch of their conversation. The bloke was saying (rather dismissively) ‘but, it’s only a cyclist‘.
I thought it was quite funny , though this attitude is usually less humorous and more like dangerous. You often feel motorists have that attitude as they squeeze past with a few inches to spare. ‘well, it’s only a cyclist’ they are probably thinking as they motor on.
Maybe the secret is to somehow not look like a cyclist (which is really quite difficult when you’re riding a bike). Though some unscientific research does claim that if you look like a wobbly old lady with skirt, long hair, cars give you more space (wear pink). But, if you’re a proper cyclist – helmet, fluorescent jacket e.t.c. you get less space – because well, you’re ‘only a cyclist’ and presumably real cyclists are quite used to close encounters with metal boxes.
O well, I’m off to count at a 24 hour running race on Sat, and 25 mile Time trial (last of the season!) on Sunday.
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I find that cycling a recumbent seems to challenge driver’s mental image of what a “cyclist” looks like – they treat me totally differently than they do when I’m on the upright.
My guess is that they have never seen such a thing before, and think: oh – there’s a person on a bike-thing, as opposed to the general street-clutter of another “cyclist” that they are used to seeing.
I think we get compartmentalized in driver’s brains as just another thing floating around on the street – a moving thing, treated as a “cyclist”, not as another human being or person on a bike – just something that’s _in the way_.
Looking like something they haven’t encountered before seems to make them realise that you’re actually a person – a human being.
Jaywalking laws may help, why people are seemingly ‘unfraid’ to just step out into a road, the ones where ‘metal boxes’ thrash along without any concern for others, is beyond me.
I agree a little with John Gallagher re: experiences, but surely some experiences we should know we can do without, i.e being run over!!!!! I think it’s more to do with ‘sensory deprivation’, no longer do people look when crossing, they rely on their ears, which in most cases are stuffed with earplugs, phones etc. I include ‘thought’ in this, thinking of others (cyclist/car drivers) when launching yourself out and into the road, zebra crossings are a great lauching pad, people seem to think just running onto one gives them right of access, ha, ha nutters!
I am not an advocate of fining people in general as awareness is a better lesson, but unfortunately the experience of losing ‘cash’ does seem to hurt people more.
We need laws for pedestrians, do we have ANY!!!!
I think it’s a matter of perception based upon the experience of the individual. A pedestrian who cycles and drives could be more aware of other road users – and will therefore take precautions not to be bowled-over by someone on a bike, i.e. take a look over his shoulder compared to a pedestrian who drives but doesn’t cycle. It could be the chap who stepped into the road without looking was in the second category, couldn’t hear any motorised traffic in the vicinity and wasn’t expecting a cyclist …
I had a similar experience when cycling last Sunday – three teenage lads stepped off the pavement to cross the road without looking, there were no cars about and it was quiet. Had to take some drastic avoiding action to miss them.
Good article, I recently saw the ad campaign for this site running on the back of some buses as I was heading home through the Chelsea area one evening:
http://www.roadhug.org/campaign.html
Great idea if some other road users actually read it! I also did a similar post on my blog entitled “Not just a cyclist” a while ago, it really bugs me that we as cyclists get looked on as second class citizens just because we choose a “different” mode of transport!