Judgment- Enough to Go Around.

I'm not ashamed to admit it... I have a friend who drives a Hummer. He's a great guy, and a guy I look up to in many ways despite his Hummer. I remember hearing that he bought a Hummer almost eight years ago, and I was so disappointed. I never said a word about it. Recently for the first time, I had an opportunity to talk to him in earnest about his Hummer.

He told me that people constantly harass him when he drives around. People yell at him and spit on his car. One time a passing bicyclist threw a drink on him through his open window. He says the cyclists are the most vocal of his harassers.

Through all that, he understands the objections. He understands that people see his Hummer as an excess. He also understands that it's not an efficient car. "I get it," he says of his objectors as if he's exhausted. In fact, because of all the trouble it's caused him he has come to hate and resent his Hummer. Why does he drive it? Money. It's paid for, and has been for a few years. I believe him when he tells me that he'd trade it for a Prius straight up, but who would make that trade?

People make transportation choices for a number of reasons. My brother drives a big SUV- a Ford Explorer. It was originally rationalized as a practical vehicle that could accommodate his big family. In the years that followed that purchase he paid the car off, gas prices went through the roof, and his wages were cut. My brother also would be willing to trade his SUV for an efficient car, but now he can't afford to have another car payment. No one wants an Explorer these days. It's trade in value is nominal at best. Through his own practical reasons he still appreciates certain mistakes in judgement that led to the initial purchase decision, but he sees himself as stuck. We can argue about my brother's options, but I don't think he should be harassed for making poor decisions that, in many ways, are a cultural norm.

Through and through, I'm an advocate of rational civility. I have a dream of a future where cyclists and drivers can share our transportation infrastructure. An important step toward that dream is to show the world that the bicycle is a civilized form of transportation. That goal is not accomplished through judging and harassing others for nothing more than their choice of conveyance.

Cyclists are diverse, and as such are not subject to judgement based solely on their decision to ride a bicycle. Some people ride bicycles becuase they have no other practical choices. Other people have a world of transportation resources, but they choose to cycle based on "principles." My assertion is that the end goal is not served by judging or harassing others for their transportation choices, just as we would like to not be judged ourselves.

Personally, I don't think I ever really got into bicycles becuase of some principle. I enjoy the athletic output and the mechanical puzzles presented by the bicycle. I'm competitive. I want to be fastest. I want to haul the most. I also want to tinker, and the bicycle presents endless opportunities to experiment with mechanics. Ask any bicycle mechanic- they'll tell you that every day at the shop presents new and novel mechanical problems to be solved. While I came to appreciate the other benefits of cycling over the years, my original motivation was only to satisfy my own needs. Am I entitled to veneration by my cycling peers despite my egocentric motivations to ride a bicycle?

As a bicyclist, I know that some drivers judge me for nothing more than my choice of conveyance. I can't tell you how many times I've been the victim of aggression on the streets of Chicago. Any urban cyclist has experienced drivers passing too close, cutting them off, pulling out in front (even though they see you), or any other innumerable acts with a clear intention- to intimidate or harass. Why do they want to harass me? They do so because of nothing more than their judgement based on my choice of conveyance.

When you spit on a car... When you throw a drink... When you hurl obscenities... ...you reduce yourself to their level, and in so doing you compromise yourself and everyone in your "community." You become the barbarian, and everyone who witnesses your barbarism judges not only you, but everyone associated with you. They judge bicyclists as a whole.

We can't afford to let that happen. We must set an example to which drivers should aspire. Everyone knows that it's fun to ride bikes. We did it as children, and you can do it as an adult. If a person sees bicycles as a viable and fun form of transportation it will further our cause, but if that person associates bicycles with lawless barbarians we'll have one more person against us.

Don't judge people for their choice of conveyance. Don't harass people just becuase they don't ride a bike. Share the road as you expect it to be shared. Be considerate of others and show respect. If we want to be respected and taken seriously, we will have to convince the public at large that we are worthy of respect and consideration. That isn't a cause that is furthered by throwing drinks, spitting or hurling obscenities. We must lead by example.