The difference between us and them

Lately, I have been reminded in a very acute manner of something that all cyclists come to know intuitively: there is a cultural chasm between cyclists and noncyclists, and there are aspects of cycling that drivers and pedestrians just don't understand.

As a bike commuter, I experience this on the streets of New York City every day. The first thing you realize is that you are the outcast. Sure, there are conflicts between pedestrians and cars, and in this battle I certainly favor the pedestrians. But the pedestrians have sidewalks, and their main concern is crossing roads. Cars have these roads, and rule because whether they are in the right or not their potential to kill in an instant gives them the upper hand. Where to cyclists fit in? Well, by law we are a vehicle, so the road belongs to us as much as cars.

This is all good in theory, but the reality is that the power imbalance between bikes and cars puts bikes at a terrible disadvantage. The consequence for a bicyclist of asserting his or her rights could be death: if you get run over, it does not matter if you had the right of way. Drivers just don't get this, and you can tell from the way that they drive. I often compare the car-bike interface with two dogs playing, a Bull Mastiff and a Pekinese. Obviously the Bull Mastiff could swallow the Pekinese whole in about five seconds, but it does not. Instead, it realizes its superior killing potential and treats the smaller dog appropriately, deferring to it in play. Most drivers lack the social intelligence of big dogs, failing to defer to cyclists at all, acting instead as if the bike were an equal competitor for the same space.

Kudos to the New York City Department of Transportation for realizing this imbalance. All over the city they are recognizing what drivers and pedestrians often don't: bikes need dedicated street space protected from cars. Near my house there's a big traffic circle that joins Parkside Avenue, Fort Hamilton Parkway, Prospect Park Southwest, and Coney Island Avenue. This circle was a menace for cyclists, but is now in the process of being converted in a way that puts the safety of cyclists and pedestrians ahead of the efficiency of cars. Similarly, new protected bike lanes on Kent Avenue in Brooklyn and Ninth Avenue in Manhattan acknowledge that the best place for cyclists is their own place. Ironically, pedestrians and cars alike have a hard time respecting the small amount of space carved out for the bicyclists.

It still surprises me that non-cyclists don't support dedicated space for cyclists. It's strange, but often pedestrians and drivers find affinity in not wanting to allow cyclists into their respective clubs. Why this is true is hard to figure out. Sometimes pedestrians have negative experiences with cyclists, and so perhaps they don't see the common interest in reclaiming space from cars. Maybe it's that the default state of mind in our society is that cars are entitled to priority treatment, and pedestrians want to make sure they keep their number two status. But whatever it is that causes non-cyclists to not get it, they don't get it.

Strap on your helmet and start using your bike as your primary means of transportation and you will get it. You will realize why so many people ride as you discover the freedom associated with not relying on a car or public transportation. But you will also realize that bicyclists are not treated well, and using a bike every day takes dedication. This dedication is altruistic, as every cyclist reduces the amount of traffic experienced by car drivers and the pedestrians who use public transportation. This dedication is altruistic, because it is the only truly zero-carbon-emission form of transportation.

We cyclists are out there doing it for everyone. Come on, give us a little love.