most New Yorkers Support Bike Lanes... Republicans Don'tfrom a recent poll
www.huffingtonpost.com
http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=bike+lanes
so often I ride my bicycle in a fashion that "blocks" the following cars from making an unsafe pass
on winding roads
on narrow roads
in places where it would be illogical or unsafe to pass
in these times I will "block" a car from having an opportunity to pass
this can be my riding style on my commutes
this can be my riding style when on my "road" rides for fun and fitness
this "blocking" increases when I ride with my kids
the other day I rode the Franken-Bakfiet filled with skateboards along side my now 7 and soon to be 10 year old sons
it was the standard chaos
cars tailgated me as I rode behind my sons on narrow residential streets
we were within our rights
many of the cars displayed frustration
one passenger gestured and voiced words I could not hear for several blocks in my neighborhood
what people forget
many of these city streets are residential streets
sure... it is their cross town short cut
but really... you are speeding through neighborhoods past people's homes
when we took to the roads with bike lanes cars pulled out of parking spaces without any consideration of our approach
other cars did their swoop and dive for a parking space in front of us with no respect to our right to space, safety, or progress
right turning traffic obstructed the bike lanes
and
people honked for us to move so that the could use the bike lane for their right turn
it is beyond aggravating
it makes my blood boil
the drivers of these cars have no concept of their contribution to "the worst case scenario"
by double parking in the bike lane my young children are forced to swerve into the road
in so many cases it was just more easy for me to have my boys maintain their space in the road
rather than swerving in and out
putting us at greater risk
the following cars did not like this
but... I know
the cars are not displaying enough courtesy to make me think that they will anticipate the movement of my boys into the lane of moving traffic to get around the car in the bike lane
just as it is my responsibilty not to be so much concerned with "the law"
but to put myself where I am most safe
when I am with my children
it is entirely up to me to put my children where they are most safe
"blocking" is part of this
somehow the cars around us do not see that these are small children
they only see that there is an obstruction impeding their intention to move forward fast and furious
if only they could open their eyes and see what is actually in front of them
that bicyclist is a person
and in some cases
that person is a child