As I left to go cycling today, my husband said, "Be careful." It is not unusual for him to tell me this if he happens to be there when I leave. But, today, he sounded more emphatic.
"Don't worry. I always am," I responded, walking my bike out of the garage.
"I know, but there are alot of crazy drivers out there. You never know what they'll do."
"I usually don't have a problem with drivers. I stay on my side of the road and move over when I can. You would be amazed by what a little courtesy can achieve," I said.
He said, "Well, cyclists in general are arrogant, especially when they ride in the middle of the road. I just blow past them at speed. I can be gone by the time they hit the ground."
He said this as I rolled down the driveway and into the street. Who is the arrogant one? Really!
After I got past the shock of the implications of what he said, I felt empty. I would think that because I am a cyclist, that he would have more compassion for other cyclists on the road, not less. What if I was one of those cyclists, minding my own business traveling on the side of the road, when some other arrogant driver, like himself, thought I was taking up too much space and swooped around me at speed, possibly causing me to crash and end up in the hospital? Would that be something I deserved? Or would he wax sanctimonious on the wave of road safety for cyclists?
I hope that is not what it takes.
As I got going on my ride, I paid particular attention to the behavior of the drivers. Are they all that arrogant? Thank goodness for me, each one of them gave me wide berth when they could. One driver even slowed down drastically behind me when the road narrowed into one lane. I reciprocated by moving to the shoulder to let him pass by. I wondered if my husband had ever given any cyclists a chance before he sped around them in anger.
The relationship between cyclists and drivers on the open road can be symbiotic if we allow it to be. But, in order for this to happen we have to all moderate our arrogance and try to see things from the other perspective, if even just a bit.
As for my husband's caustic remarks, the attitude that spawned them will take a lot more work.
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