Magnetic Yellow Cards for Cyclists to Warn Dangerous Drivers

I saw this article on Treehugger.com:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/12/magnetic-yellow-cards-for-cyclists-dangerous-drivers.php

The article got me thinking about cyclists, drivers and pedestrians sharing the same road. Now I can't say that I'm a cyclist considering I don't own a bicycle and I can barely ride one. However, I have ridden bicycles traversing streets, sidewalks and a modicum of dirt and sand. I have also driven a car regularly for a short period of my life. Most of all, though, I've been an avid pedestrian, the least armored mode of transportation. As a pedestrian, I have very strong, negative feelings towards certain behaviors in cyclists and drivers. When I ride a bicycle or drive, I do realize that pedestrians irritate me as well, but however I may scream in the car and rage on a bike, I never ride or drive in a way that may scare someone or put someone in danger. Safety comes first.

Now that cycling as an actual mode of transportation is becoming more and more of a reality, there is a lot of friction where we are all expected to share the road. The truth is, cyclists, drivers and pedestrians all think they own the road and many don't care to follow the law. Yes, it irritates me to no end when a driver drives 40 miles an hour in the left lane, just as it irritates me to no end when a pedestrian cuts me in front of me to walk slow. In both cases, if they crash into me or I crash into them, they would most likely suffer the same amount of hurt or damage as me. So though these things irritate me, I can learn to live with that.

What I can't stand, is the near-death experiences when a car stops smack in the middle of the crosswalk forcing me to walk into moving traffic, or when a cyclist nearly clips me from behind speeding down the sidewalk. In my experience, neither the cyclist nor the driver are apologetic about putting someone in danger when they are doing something illegal. What infuriates me more than the act itself, is the apathy and the self-righteous attitude in the perpetrators. I get the feeling that they couldn't care less about anybody but themselves. It's a terrible feeling to think that so many people would not give a second thought to running down or running over a human being.

I'll admit that as a pedestrian, I will often cross against the light if I don't see a car coming. So yeah, sometimes I'll break the rules, but I never do it when I think it would inconvenience someone or put someone in fear of mortal danger. While waiting for the lights to change, I'll stay out of bike lanes when I see them and I always try to remember to check before I open a car door curbside.

In my opinion, there needs to be mutual respect and compassion. I know, it sounds corny, but it's true. Education on how to share the road is important, but it will only go so far as long as each group keeps trying to "own the road" or blame the other for the friction. The truth is that none of us as a group is innocent here. We cannot keep laying the blame on someone else's doorstep and think that there won't be a push back. If cyclists want drivers to drive safer for cyclists, then cyclists need to reign in their fellows for behaviors like riding side by side in the middle of the road at a leisure pace. If drivers and pedestrians want cyclists to stop running red lights and speeding through intersections, then maybe they should stop running red lights themselves and look before turning. If pedestrians want drivers and cyclists to stop whizzing past within inches of them, then maybe pedestrians should stop jumping into the way of traffic assuming cars and cyclists won't run them over. So yeah, education is important, but more important is mutual respect that we all have to use this limited space and we all have somewhere we're trying to get to.

Going back to the article, I don't think some of the comments wishing death and hurt to a group is helpful. Just as the sentiments about kicking the car isn't helpful. In fact, it's downright saddening to see that such speech inevitably comes up when it comes to articles about cyclists sharing the road. I also think the magnets are a waste of time and resources. I just don't see people changing their habits because of an anonymous note stuck to their car. Most likely, this friction will continue for a while. Without self-reflection, there can be no change because you can't change someone who doesn't want to change.

In the end, I don't think tensions are necessarily going to get worse or better. There will be a lot of shoving, name-calling and such, but eventually, we might learn to all get along somehow. Maybe we'll reach a tenuous or uneasy way of sharing the road and that's the best we can do.