As I weaved my bicycle through the stationary rush hour traffic on my way to yoga this evening, I wondered what the drivers were thinking.
I expect “bloody cyclists!” might have been front of mind for a number of them. Are they thinking back to the glory days when roads were for cars only, and there were never any traffic hold ups? I’m afraid those days are gone. If there weren’t cyclists or motorbikes or scooters, we’d all be in cars and the gridlock would be worse, not better.
The other common complaint from motorists these days is parking. There’s never enough, and it’s incredibly expensive. However , I’ve got bad news for you, buddies. If we want to get people out of cars and into alternative means of transport – like buses, trains, bikes, scooters, or walking – which is essential if we want our city to develop without turning into a monstrosity like LA – then we have to make driving cars less convenient. People want more roads to fix the traffic, but roads just beget cars, and that cycle never ends. These difficulties we’re all having are not a bug, they’re a feature.
…..
Ha ha the universe has such a sense of humour! I wrote the above in the picture theatre, waiting for my film society movie to start. It was an old French film called Cleo from 5 – 7, which took place in real time, decades before it was reinvented for TV with the series 24.
I noticed it was a bit windy as I unlocked my bicycle, parked right out front of the theatre and only 15 minutes ride from home. All well and good and terribly convenient, right up until a gust of wind picked me up and blew me across the road as I was cycling up our street. Luckily there were no cars around because I was totally helpless. And this is my 31 kg E bike we’re talking about. I managed to get myself back upright, and cycled the rest of the way home, my Apple Watch buzzing annoyingly all the way to say it seemed like I’d had a nasty fall and did I need it to call an ambulance?
I think it’s going to be just as windy tomorrow. I’m too afraid to cycle now, and there’s just no damned parking at the hospital, so I’m now trying to look up bus timetables online…