Judging from the events that transpired last week it’s obvious there’s some heated tension between cyclists and motorists. This is nothing new but with the consistent negative media we’ve been getting I think it’s time we recognize that something needs to be done to change the perception of cyclists on the roads.
There’s no sense getting in a war of words with motorists and fighting things that are out of our control. The only thing we can control is our actions. Once we clean up our own backyard we will then be in a position to demand respect. Once we earn that respect, the time will be ripe to engage motorist groups to ensure they campaign to clean up their act as well. This is a two way street and both sides need to be on board for the road to be a safe place to ride.
If you’ve been cycling for a long period of time chances are you’ve had an altercation with a vehicle. This isn’t something unique to beginners. In fact, it’s likely that the experienced cyclists have had more issues with motorists than anyone else. These top level cyclists are the ones that everyone else looks up to. Judging by my reader’s survey these people are YOU (88% to be precise). YOU can influence the way other cyclists behave on the roads.
Have you ever taken a drive during a Saturday morning on a busy cycling route (e.g. Beach Road in Melbourne)? My wife and I were driving a few weeks ago just as some bunch rides were coming past. They completely swarmed the car and even I was paranoid that I was going to hit one of them (many of my mates incidentally). I knew from experience that if I just kept the car steady and predictable the cyclists would take care of themselves. However, can you imagine how someone who isn’t in the cycling world would respond to this?
I remember first arriving in Melbourne and joining some of the bunch rides. Riders would go flying through red lights with no regard whatsoever. This used to be deemed as being acceptable. Now I go out on the same bunch rides and if someone runs a red light it’s highly frowned upon and the rider gets heckled and scorned. It takes a strong character to speak up in these situations but I’m seeing more and more riders out there with a backbone.
I’ve seen this change happen over the past couple years and I see no reason why other ill perceived acts cannot change as well. All we need is some common sense etiquette that comes from us as riders. There’s no doubt in my mind that every cyclist would want to be on board. Does anyone out there think that running red lights is actually good for cycling?
I’ve seen many campaigns trying to get cyclists to shape up throughout the years. I disagree with the approach many of these cycling bodies take. Most of them simply tell everyone else what to do. I believe that cyclists themselves need to get behind it and take ownership. This has to come from the ground up. All cyclists need to be on board with a common etiquette on the roads that we can all agree on and adhere to.
I’ve seen some code of conduct rules written by various cycling bodies. Most of them are far too general and do not focus on the specific problems that cyclists and motorists encounter with each other. Rules like “show respect for fellow drivers and share the road” is not going to change anything. I’m talking about specific common sense stuff like “it’s not cool to let your bunch swarm in front of the cars at a red light and make them pass you again….”
After we make the first move and clean up our own act we can then raise awareness to motorist groups and drivers and create some real change. These rules need to come from you as cyclists and be agreed upon as “cool” and “uncool“. We have rights on the road but we sometimes abuse them. Let’s make sure our rights are understood and respected by motorists.
I was speaking to some fellow cyclists about this issue and we all thought there was an opportunity for us to create positive change on our roads. From this fertile discussion we coined the term ‘Cycliquette’ in good fun. I believe it’s time that we, the cycling community, to create a code of conduct that is not just shared amongst cyclists, but is also extended to motorists.
This etiquette must be shared and accepted by everyone and must be created by you. Put forward what you believe Cycliquette should entail and I’ll compile the initial top 5 from which it can grow.
This is something we all care about and have an opinion on, so let’s channel it creatively and create positive change.
