[SDCBC] all road users need education

[Serge Issakov]

On 2/12/07, JonIsaacs at aol.com <JonIsaacs at aol.com> wrote:

As it is,  I think most motorists, me included, have no expectations of
> reasonable behavior from someone on a bicycle and so treat cyclists as
> "loose cannons" that just might do anything.
>

Exactly.  And because of this, motorists get frustrated with bicyclists,
especially when they can't figure out what they're doing.

I've found the best antidote to this is to be aware of motorists and their
potential bewilderment and frustration, and to communicate my intent
specifically to those who are likely to be wondering what I'm doing and are
often (surprisingly) looking to me for direction on what they should do.
It's very difficult if not impossible to do this effectively if your
underlying belief is that it is a "battle" out there and motorists are the
"enemy".

It's counter-intuitive to be understanding, communicative, cooperative,
helpful with, and seeking cooperation from, someone who feels like the
"enemy" in a "battle".

So I have found that the "battle" paradigm, as exemplified by Michael
Clarke's riding and words in the news piece, and echoed by cyclists
endlessly, is counter-productive when one is cycling in traffic.

Serge
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