Contributed PHoto
Melinda Tuhus.
(Opinion) I understand the source of my dismay when other cyclists pass me without a greeting. I was part of the Wild West era of biking in New Haven, back in the mid-1980s when I began my daily commute from southern Hamden to downtown New Haven, back when cyclists were few and far between on city streets and there was not a single drop of white paint expended to increase our safety – or at least the idea of our increased safety, since a stripe of paint is no match for a driver crossing that line.
Passing another cyclist on the road was like finding your brother or sister – and we almost always acknowledged each other. Now there are hundreds if not thousands of us, and while there’s always a wave or a smile or a friendly hello exchanged among those of us who know each other, and while I still try to greet every cyclist I pass or who passes me, that greeting is rarely returned. It makes me sad.
It also makes me mad. Because civility or camaraderie isn’t the only reason to make yourself known to other cyclists.
It’s also dangerous to pass a cyclist from behind without making a sound – verbal or mechanical – especially if you are within three feet of one. What if I have to swerve to avoid a pothole and I don’t hear you coming? While motorists have to give cyclists three feet by law (and of course don’t always do so), that doesn’t apply to cyclists, but maybe it should.
And the way most cyclists treat pedestrians is not going to win us any fans, when we should be natural allies.
I’ve been cycling the Farmington Canal rail trail for decades, but once I hoofed it for several miles while training for a long walk. Not one cyclist gave notice before passing me, some very closely. And at city intersections I can tell by the way pedestrians react how rare it is for them to be given the right of way (which is the law). They usually look either incredulous or grateful when I stop for them. It actually makes me feel good to know I’m part of taming traffic. I don’t always stop for them myself, either because I didn’t see them in time or I know I can pass the intersection without getting in their way.
So how about it, fellow cyclists? Give pedestrians a break, give notice to other riders, and it wouldn’t kill you to give a smile or a wave, would it?
God Bless you and keep you safe! I no longer ride anywhere on streets because it is too dangerous. My riding is around the block and maybe at a park or on a stationary bike. It's not a question of courtesy: your life is in danger from distracted, agitated drivers coming at you with thousands of pounds of steel (and plastic, for all you ecology-minded folk).