Yep kids, it's that time again. Another self-involved irritated Tank Gyrl rant for your reading pleasure. Not that I really think anyone is reading these. Or cares. I just like to mouth off now and again. Today's general irritation - the etiquette of bicycling in public. Or rather the lack thereof.
This morning, I went for a ride. I do this a lot as most of my friends know. I find it therapeutic to get out every other morning or so and pedal my little legs off for an hour or so. On weekends - it's usually more like two hours. So this morning, I woke to by a light breeze and a heavy marine layer - my favourite kind of day for a ride. The grey cloud cover keeps the masses off of the bike path and the light breeze doesn't make riding any harder than it needs to be (strong headwinds are a bitch). So I suited up, made sure the tires were inflated and queued up my iPod for a nice ride. For the most part, it was. And there were a few people on the bike path, which made the general pace consistent and up to me. I love that.
On my way back I saw them. The youth group bicycle outing. Now, really, don't get me wrong. I am ALL for youth groups and bringing kids to the beach for a fun day of biking and beaching. What I am NOT a fan of - is that the counselors and guides that were with the youth group didn't seem to explain to them these simple few rules for biking. And it is them that I blame for any mishaps, wipeouts and crashes that take place.
These rules are simple. There are only three. They are easy to recognize. They are common sense and they are simply a matter of consideration.
One - stay to the right. Like on a road, the other side of the path is for passing and oncoming traffic. You wouldn't let a neophyte driver ride the wrong side of the road simply because they didn't know any better now would you? Nope. Think not. You'd explain the rules to them. So why the hell wouldn't you explain that to the neophyte bicyclist as well?
Two - if you are going to pass, simply announce yourself. Not hard to yell out a phrase such as "On Your Left" or "Watch Behind You" to those at a slower pace than yourself. And instruct them that when you hear that from behind you, it means - GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!!! Seriously, more of these kids caused near accidents in the 5 minutes I was in their path than I've seen in the last five years of riding regularly.
Three - look behind you before you do attempt to pass another cyclist to make sure you're not going to cut off someone else. And keep the path clear. Move off to the side, find a pull-out or simply make sure that the path is clear around you before stopping or making any turns - sudden or otherwise. Really. Is it that hard to follow that rule? That's just common sense. Of which, I think too many people are lacking.
These kids were so poorly instructed in any sort of rules to biking in a public high-traffic area, I actually watched as one stopped short and three others not paying attention piled right into her. Four went down because one didn't have the sense to pull off to the side before hitting the brakes.
These bicycling groups are worse on the path then the people who "walk" on the bike path *the clearly marked "BIKES ONLY" path*.
So in the interest of safety and not just my own, teach these kids the rules of the road. Doesn't matter if it's a road with cars, bikes or rollerblades - the same rules apply.
XO
the Tank Gyrl
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