[SDCBC] Ride and Learn Schedule for the coming year

[Gale Chan]

Hmmm, maybe the SDBC "A", "B", and "C" riders oughta do a Ride
and Learn or two....

This morning my husband drove to UC Cyclery about the time the
SDBC rides were rolling out.  First he encountered stragglers
of the A ride running the red light WELL after he had a green
light at the Nobel exit and was moving forward to enter the
intersection.  (These riders were not the tail end of the A
group, the A group had already gone thru the intersection.)

Then as he was in the parking lot and turned down an aisle
towards UC Cyclery he met the B riders coming head-on toward
him, all riding the wrong way and looking very indignantly at
him like "what are YOU doing here in that CAR in OUR parking
lot!?"

Lastly, after making his purchase and leaving the parking lot,
the C riders had completely blocked the aisle to the Villa La
Jolla Dr exit.

This is not to single out SDBC riders or anything.  One day I
was riding on Fiesta Island and encountered a group of
Cyclo-Vets treating the road as if it were their private
driveway or something.  A time trial rider came zooming by
screaming at them; I just slowed way down and picked my way
thru.  I would have said something but I was at a complete
loss what to say.

These experiences make me think about the goal of "same roads,
same rules".  It doesn't matter whether the vehicles are cars
or bikes, a certain "herd mentality" overtakes the operators
when they are the significant majority.  And the herd decides
the roads belong to the herd not to anyone else.

When there is no significant majority, but a more even mix
of motor vehicles and bicycles, "same roads, same rules"
does happen.  At least that was my experience when I lived
in Davis CA.  Single riders and single vehicles on Fiesta
Island also seem to coexist quite well, and I think it is
because there's no herd mentality, just one driver and one
rider.

So we can try to educate drivers and educate riders but I
believe herd mentality is hardwired in human nature.  It's
just going to be there whenever the group size is big
enough.  Assertive vehicular cycling works because it
makes the rider more like part of the herd.  And the better
you get at assertive vehicular cycling, the more herds you
can ride in.

Anyway, just my $.02.  Thanks for listening.

-- Gale Chan




 
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