by Matt Bird

Created on: May 16, 2009

Apparently four wheels are worth a lot more than two. Or at least that's what it seems like whenever I head out on my bike.

I love cycling. I take my bike everywhere I go, favoring the breeze in my hair over a stinky car any day of the week. Yet every time I go out some part of my brain registers the fact that I may not make it home.

Why? Cars, that's why. There are a lot of motorists who either disregard cyclists as not worth their time or who just aren't on the lookout for our funny little vehicles. As such I need to be doubly careful near roads, because I know somebody's not going to respond correctly to my bike.

I almost always ride on sidewalks, even though I know cyclists are entitled to go on the road. Motorists just don't seem to know how to handle bikers, regardless of how fast they're going, and usually make the wrong decisions. I'm amazed I've not seen more biking accidents with cars than I have, as the number of near-hits I've run across are monumentally high. I do everything I can to avoid cars and, quite frankly, I hate crossing the street - especially when I'm in a high-traffic area.

Some drivers are perfectly courteous to bikers. When you stop at a light they'll wait and let you zip across at the cross walk. I love drivers like that. They'll make eye contact and wave you across, and I always tip my hat a bit to let them know the sentiment is appreciated. But for every good driver there seems to be a bad one who won't afford you that courtesy; instead they'll blast around the corner, disregarding your presence and, sometimes, putting you in danger as you start to edge forwards.

Even worse, I've had some of these drivers toss me saucy salutes as they do it. I'll let you imagine what these salutes are.

Plenty of drivers out there seem to think they own the road. That we, as cyclists, are somehow inferior because we're dumb enough to put our own power behind our vehicles. Bikes are perceived as somehow childish, and that anybody on one must therefore be mocked. Unfortunately I don't know that this kind of attitude can be changed, and all I can do is watch out for these jerks and ignore their jibes.

At the very least they know I'm there. Worse than them are the drivers who are conscious only of other cars. These ones won't just cut you off by accident because they're not looking, they'll start to move as you're passing in front of their car. They look only towards oncoming traffic and completely ignore the sidewalk on the other side of their car. I know they do, because I watch their heads as they look stubbornly in one direction and ignore all else. Their prerogative is merging quickly so they can get on their way, not ensuring that all sides of their car are clear.

There is a bright side to these drivers: they turn us into better bikers. We learn to be wary of every last driver we come across, and thus gain good eyes for details. But while such skills are valuable, I'd rather not learn them while under threat of injury.

I know bikers aren't as common as drivers. For every hundred cars you see on the road you might come across one or two bikes. But we cyclists aren't just some myth. We exist, and we need you to keep an eye out for us. We deserve all the same respect afforded to pedestrians and other drivers, and trust me, we want to get home alive as much as you do.

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