Good Karma

I recognized something recently while riding – cyclists sometimes irritate me as much as drivers do.

Drivers still scare me more, pose a bigger risk to me, but the behavior of many of my fellow cyclists is questionable too.

Recently on our way back from a ride, we encountered a group of about a dozen cyclists.  They were stopped at a red light waiting for it to turn.  The majority of the riders were completely stopped, one foot down.  There were two riders though that were riding around in circles in the other lane (opposing lane – only a two lane road) to avoid having to actually stop.  The cars turning left and those turning right so they could proceed down the road, had to stop and wait for these two clowns to get out of their way – which they weren’t too quick to do.

That incident, besides being incredibly stupid and dangerous, did nothing to improve relations between drivers and cyclists.  I’m a cyclist and it angered me, I can just imagine what the drivers thought.  No doubt, it furthered what was probably an already negative opinion of cyclists at least by some of the drivers.

Several years ago I read a piece in Bicycling magazine by editor Bill Strickland, relating an incident he had with a rude and careless driver.  Initially he reacted as most of us would, he became angry.  When his anger subsided, he ended up talking to the driver and the driver apologized.  Strickland recognized at that point that every encounter with a driver provides the potential for a positive experience or a negative one.  Negative experiences further the divide between cyclists and drivers – they do nothing but perpetuate the problem.  He decided at that point that from then on he would not react in kind to rude drivers.  Instead he became an “ambassador of good will” for cyclists.

Ever since I read that article I have ridden with the same philosophy – to be an ambassador of good will on the road.   Meaning, when I ride I follow the law and when I encounter a rude driver I do not react in kind.

The results have been significant.  The majority of drivers give us more space when passing (a minimum of 3 feet clearance is required by law in OK and 14 other states) and are more courteous in general.  It is rare that we get the rude drivers, it happens, but it is definitely the minority.

This is what I know, and it’s actually pretty simple:  Bad behavior brings more bad behavior.  Good behavior improves your chances of being treated fairly and negative likewise improves your chances of getting that back.

I choose the positive approach, when out on the road cyclists need all the good karma we can get.