Sorry, I tried to edit my post and it went all screwy, so I deleted it and will try to recreate it.
As a rabid cyclist, I feel a 'brotherhood' with other cyclists. Today I read the following in the Toronto STar, titled COURIERS SHARE THEIR MUTUAL HARDSHIP:
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There's camaraderie among them, though they are not quite a band of brothers. They may not know each other's names – there up to 200 in the city – but a fellow rider who passes gets a look of recognition, a nod, a flick of a finger.
"It's a common respect for mutual hardship," says Ian McIlwain, 24, spending a year in the gritty world of bicycle messengers.
He points to the stripped-to-essentials bike couriers use. "You'd never get respect if you have a lot of parts or wear a helmet. A lot are fixed-gear bikes, without brakes. If there's anything common in the culture, it's the threat we face."
A Montreal study showed the accident rate for couriers is six times that of other cyclists. Some argue that's because they spend more time on the road than other riders.
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This makes me pause to consider....
You need to ride a bike with no brakes to get respect? AND you feel threatened? Try adding that one up. I have seen a lot of couriers riding on the sidewalk, brushing past pedestrians at high speed, without brakes. They need respect, but show none to others with whom they share space.
I read elsewhere that the courier who got creamed was a noisy neighbour, and responded to requests to keep it down by stating that "I'm a biker. This is my lifestyle. Get used to it." Or some such.
I read these things, and connect it to what I have seen myself, and I just think 'Asshole.'
Thinking about the beginning of this unfortunate situation, I wonder how it happened that he was bumped from behind by the driver, if that is what turns out to be the case. He would have to have been in the middle of the road, not moving. I read that he was in police custody shortly before the 'incident.' Perhaps he was feeling 'disrespected.' Perhaps he was out looking for some more disrespect from someone he could challenge about it. Perhaps he found someone.
I have posted elsewhere about my attitude to cars and drivers. I think cars should be considered dangerous weapons, and drivers should be responsible for their use in the same way that gun owners are for their guns. The driver is rightly charged, and justice must be carried out.
But bike couriers are not a culture unto themselves. They live among us, and must behave respectfully if they want respect. I suspect that couriers have six times the accident rate of other cyclists because they are six times more arrogant, foolish and disrespectful.
I nominate Darcy Allan Sheppard for the Darwin award.
As a rabid cyclist, I feel a 'brotherhood' with other cyclists. Today I read the following in the Toronto STar, titled COURIERS SHARE THEIR MUTUAL HARDSHIP:
_____________________________
There's camaraderie among them, though they are not quite a band of brothers. They may not know each other's names – there up to 200 in the city – but a fellow rider who passes gets a look of recognition, a nod, a flick of a finger.
"It's a common respect for mutual hardship," says Ian McIlwain, 24, spending a year in the gritty world of bicycle messengers.
He points to the stripped-to-essentials bike couriers use. "You'd never get respect if you have a lot of parts or wear a helmet. A lot are fixed-gear bikes, without brakes. If there's anything common in the culture, it's the threat we face."
A Montreal study showed the accident rate for couriers is six times that of other cyclists. Some argue that's because they spend more time on the road than other riders.
_______________________________
This makes me pause to consider....
You need to ride a bike with no brakes to get respect? AND you feel threatened? Try adding that one up. I have seen a lot of couriers riding on the sidewalk, brushing past pedestrians at high speed, without brakes. They need respect, but show none to others with whom they share space.
I read elsewhere that the courier who got creamed was a noisy neighbour, and responded to requests to keep it down by stating that "I'm a biker. This is my lifestyle. Get used to it." Or some such.
I read these things, and connect it to what I have seen myself, and I just think 'Asshole.'
Thinking about the beginning of this unfortunate situation, I wonder how it happened that he was bumped from behind by the driver, if that is what turns out to be the case. He would have to have been in the middle of the road, not moving. I read that he was in police custody shortly before the 'incident.' Perhaps he was feeling 'disrespected.' Perhaps he was out looking for some more disrespect from someone he could challenge about it. Perhaps he found someone.
I have posted elsewhere about my attitude to cars and drivers. I think cars should be considered dangerous weapons, and drivers should be responsible for their use in the same way that gun owners are for their guns. The driver is rightly charged, and justice must be carried out.
But bike couriers are not a culture unto themselves. They live among us, and must behave respectfully if they want respect. I suspect that couriers have six times the accident rate of other cyclists because they are six times more arrogant, foolish and disrespectful.
I nominate Darcy Allan Sheppard for the Darwin award.
