My new bike rack arrived last night so between that and the gorgeous weather, I decided to try bike commuting for the first time today. I thought that it would be cool enough to wear my work clothes instead of bringing them and cycling in something different — slight tactical error. Although I brought wipes and deodorant, I arrived at work a little schvitzier than I had hoped. Next time I'll likely bike in a different outfit and carry the work clothes. And I'm already starving . . . Is it lunchtime yet?
Tag: cycling
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My First Bike Commute!
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Rant of the Day: Be a Moron All You Like, But Don’t Put Me in Danger
Yesterday, while biking along the 10th Street bike path between University and 2nd Avenue, I saw two people biking against traffic and one person blow through a red light as a pack of pedestrians started to cross in front of us. Earlier that day, crossing 5th Avenue as a pedestrian, I nearly got hit by a cyclist who didn't stop for his red light. After sunset, I saw a guy cycling the wrong way down a bike path, no helmet, no reflective gear or lights, with headphones in both ears. All of this stupidity and lack of concern for fellow New Yorkers is fairly typical, unfortunately. That said, I also saw some moron drive IN HIS CAR the wrong way down 5th Avenue — while I and other pedestrians yelled at him — in order to make a U-Turn. As we all yelled "wrong way!" all he had to say was "I know." Seriously?!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE!?!?
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I Want to Ride My Bicycle, I Want to Ride My Bike*
I finally dusted off my bike and went for a ride yesterday, which felt great. Given the prevalence of the new Citibike docks all around the city, I've been thinking quite a bit about bike riding lately. I was trained as a very safe rider thanks to the AIDS Ride folks back in 2000, but I'm still not super-thrilled about riding in traffic. I prefer to get over to a bike-friendly area that is blocked to traffic (Central Park, West Side Highway) and ride around there instead of using my bike for commuting. As safe and cautious as I am, I think that drivers are still not accustomed to cyclists and I'd rather avoid them.
That said, they're about to be everywhere. I'm incredibly curious to see how this whole Citibike thing will work. I plan to try it out (with a helmet, of course) and see if it makes me more comfortable using a bike as a mode of transportation rather than a means of exercise. My two big hopes are that 1) drivers will start to get used to and respect cyclists who share the streets, and 2) cyclists will ride safely, respecting traffic laws. The latter is something I don't see as often as I'd like. I constantly see cyclists riding the wrong way down bike lanes, not signaling, blowing through traffic lights, wearing headphones, texting (are you fucking kidding me?!) as they ride, and riding on sidewalks. I truly hope that with an influx of cyclists, this changes, and if not, that cyclists are ticketed accordingly for traffic violations. The sooner we all learn to share the streets safely, the better.
* Thank you, Queen.