I am having a hard time with all the anger

Read this, and then read the comments from the "general public" underneath.

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/3912413-cyclist-uses-helmet-camera-to-capture-bad-drivers/

I simply do not get it.

Why is it that people are so pissed off with each other about the other's transportation choices?

Most people driving cars on the road make mistakes and most of the time these mistakes are minor and do not harm anyone. It is true. So over reacting by people riding bicycles is silly.

Most people riding bicycles make mistakes and most of the time these mistakes are minor and do not harm anyone. This is also true. So over reacting by people driving cars is just as silly.

I know I really do not like it while I am riding my bicycle and a person driving a car gets too close. It is illegal, inconsiderate, and down right dangerous. It also does not happen all that often. I am very good at communicating with other road users in an appropriate way and move as predictably as possible. It is pretty obvious when I do this to other road users what I am trying to accomplish and rarely is there a problem. Predictable safe cycling goes a long way towards me having few issues per 1000km travelled. Basically, not being a dumbass goes a long way to keeping me safe. So too does an attitude that drivers, just like me, are people too.

So do I therefore think then that all people driving cars are bad? Nope.

However, some days I admit I have to wonder. But I would be wondering that whether or not I was on a bike or in a car.

Consider the following notions for a minute or two:

Frustration and anger about traffic is, I think, a reflection of a few things. The general stress that people are under can lead a lot of people to feel trapped and this can manifest itself in inappropriate ways while driving. As well, cars can make a person feel powerful and in control, and are heavily marketed to create those feelings, which can lead to a sense of entitlement around who has the right to be on the road. Frustration when reality does not match up to that expectation can do strange things to behaviour patterns in some people. I think the problem is that some people simply do not want other people to be"in the way". People like to be in control and like to feel free, and sharing space on crowded streets hampers that sense of control and freedom. It does not matter if the person who is "in the way" is in a car or on a bike. The point is that they are there.

People complaining about traffic and getting angry about it amuse me (even when I am the one doing the complaining) - do they not realize that they are, themselves, traffic and the source of other people's complaints and are therefore the problem that they are bitching about?

High gas prices also feed into entitlement as one commonly held belief is that people on bicycles are freeloaders on the roadway because they do not pay for gas and it is gas taxes, goes the argument dontcha know, that pays for roads. Actually, it is property taxes. But that little bit of reality does not matter to someone frustrated and angry about the costs of living in an oil based economy when oil gets expensive. So traffic can peak people's stress, thwart their perceived power, and when that happens some people react poorly and direct abuse on those around them.

(If you think this is bad now, just wait until the increase in oil costs sky rocket the price of food and THEN watch people's blood pressure soar. Gasoline for personal use will be the least of people's worries... It is already starting to happen, notice your high grocery bills lately?)

Lest anyone think I am letting people riding bicycles off the hook, these same stressors induce foul behaviour in people riding bikes as well as they buzz people on trails, run red lights, blow stop signs, and in general break the law. And no, taking a lane in traffic when it is not safe to pass is NOT breaking the law - just today, because I took a whole lane in Uptown Waterloo, I avoided a trip to the ER or a longer trip on a slab because I was able to easily avoid an opening door from someone who threw their door open into traffic without looking. Had I been hard against the parked cars and about to be passed, it would have been ugly. Two summers ago, a young woman was killed in Ottawa in exactly this situation.

People walking on multi-use paths who refuse to share the path are just as bad as a person riding a bike buzzing people walking...

Notice I am talking about people, not cyclists and motorists. It is people who are creating this havoc on our roadways, not a demographic group. Calling someone a cyclist or a motorist and therefore labeling them an "other" is a great trick used by people who wish to dehumanize other people. Well, I am a human whether I am on a bike or in a car. So are you.

Anyhow, people on bicycles are by their very nature a lot more vulnerable to abuse, and are an easy target for a person who is wound up and acting badly. But they are not the only target. Try the following for two weeks and see what I mean:

I challenge you to drive within the letter of the law while out in your car. Do not speed. Do not roll stops. Stop before turning right on a red before the stop line. Actually stop. You know the drill.

Take note of how many people behind you throw a fit. How many tailgate. How many tell you to fuck off or pass you illegally. How many almost ram you when you stop for reds and at stop signs.

Now mentally put yourself on two wheels and think about what a person on a bike must feel like when they encounter someone like those who for the past two weeks have been making your blood pressure rise.

And then try to, like I try to, not be that person.