Ride on, Norly!

(Originally published in the June 10 to 16, 2012 issue of the Baguio Chronicle ---

a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines ---

by Sly L. Quintos, Associate Editor.)

THE local biking community and Self-Propelled mourn the untimely death of Norly Batnag following an accident during bike ride in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya to Mt. Ugo.

A leisure ride around Baguio “to remember her and her passion for biking” is scheduled on June 12 (Tuesday). Assembly time is at 7 o’clock in the morning at Burnham Park.*

6 Ways To Defuse Anti-Cyclist Road Rage

ROAD rage is an aggressive or angry behavior by a driver of an automobile or other motor vehicle. 

Such behavior might include generally aggressive driving, including sudden acceleration, braking, and close tailgating; cutting others off in a lane, or deliberately preventing someone from merging, chasing other motorists; flashing lights and/or sounding the horn excessively; yelling or exhibiting disruptive behavior at roadside establishments; rude gestures (such as “the finger”);  shouting verbal abuses, insults or threats; assaulting other motorists, their passengers, cyclists or pedestrians; exiting the car to attempt to start confrontations, including striking other vehicles with an object; threatening to use or using a firearm or other deadly weapon.

Anti-cycling road rage is just a big drag, perpetuating the ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mentality between drivers and cyclists, and sometimes endangering lives. Some states have tried to legally protect cyclists from car drivers' abuse. 

But there are a number of things that a cyclist can and should do to promote street peace and the best, safest ride possible. 

Read on and add your tips.

1. DRIVE YOUR BIKE

The bike, after all, is a two-wheeled vehicle and must be treated as a vehicle. That's why considering yourself driving your bike instead of just riding, is probably a good idea.

2. OBEY THE LAW

Motorists bend and break traffic laws systematically. Should cyclists be held to a higher standard? Yes, and no. In order to not aggravate the us-versus-them mentality that bikes on the road create in motorists’ minds, it is important for cyclists to follow laws to the best of their ability. Salmon biking (driving your bike against the flow of traffic) and completely breezing through stop signs or red lights are the two offenses that most make motorists see red. The road is a limited resource --- if cyclists want to share it, they need to respect the rules of the road.

3. LOBBY FOR A VERSION OF THE IDAHO STOP LAW

The Idaho Stop Law in United States(in place since 1982) allows cyclists to yield instead of fully stop (i.e. with a foot down) when faced with an intersection or stop sign. Oregon tried unsuccessfully to pass a version of this law earlier this year. The University of California's School of Health in Berkeley crunched some data and UC researcher Jason Meggs studied the law's results and found that in the year following its implementation, bicycle injuries dropped 14.5 percent, presumably because cyclists had more control in intersections and were more visible. Such a law might increase motorists rage initially, but by now the Idaho Stop Law is just considered smart public policy. London is considering a similar provision.

4. ARM YOURSELF WITH A SMILE AND A WAVE

Sometimes car drivers can be pretty aggravating. They stupidly dart around slower traffic, they make sudden, unexpected moves, and they pretend not to notice when they've done something asinine to you. Well, guess what? Same thing with bikers. The best way to drive your bike is to drive defensively, but maintaining Zen-like serenity if at all possible. Would you rather be trapped in a steel-reinforced cage or on your bike experiencing your environment? See, you already feel happier. So choose style and safety over speed. And, of course, respect the pedestrians.

5. AND DON YOUR FINEST, BRIGHTEST PLUMAGE

Not only is it great to give other motorists a little eye-candy in addition to plenty of lights and reflectors on your bike, it's also best to be as visible to everybody as possible. This doesn't necessarily mean Day-Glo colors. But being on your bike is an opportunity to show your style and stand out in traffic. In addition, safety in numbers seems to be very true for cycling.

6. REMEMBER, BIKING HAS A BELL CURVE

Most of your bike experiences are statistically likely to be good ones, without road rage or other incidents. For every million hours of biking, the mortality rate is just 0.3 --- that's better than driving's 0.5. 

To put it another way, a Canadian study says the risk of dying in a bike crash are about the same as dying in an SUV crash. It seems then self-evident to do what you can --- arm yourself with a smile to deflect rage, the right amount of lighting, and yes, even a mirror. Female cyclists will likely be subject to a higher incidence of cat-calling and wolf-whistling. But does getting mad solve anything? To paraphrase Dori The Fish from Finding Nemo: just keep riding.*