Wishing Gabrielle Giffords Many More Commutes by Bike
from Commute by Bike by Ted Johnson
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My thoughts were drawn, once again, to the rhetoric of the debate over cycling infrastructure, referred to as “The Bike Wars” or a “war on cars.” War? Really? With armies, weapons, and battles?
Anyone who commutes by bike knows two things: First, that there are a lot of crazy and unstable drivers out there, and second that with the wrong person behind the wheel, a car can be used as a weapon. When we, the participants in this debate, regurgitate this “war” framing, we need to consider the chances that a crazy motorist might take it seriously. The motorist who believes (because he’s been told so) that cyclists are literally the enemy; that cyclists are threatening his way of life, how is he likely to use his car?
Let’s downshift our rhetoric as well. It’s not a war. It’s a disagreement over transportation priorities; it’s motorists and cyclists struggling to reconcile their differences and coexist.
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https://www.commutebybike.com/2011/01/11/wishing-gabrielle-giffords-many-more-commutes-by-bike/oldId.20110112105151390
Biking in Baltimore