Last night our new friend Tefra came to Back Alley Bikes to start a discussion. Tefra is a member of the American Institute of Architects, a bicyclist and a concerned citizen. She wanted to know – how do we make bicycling better?
So after two hours of discussion what did the group come up with? Well…we have a lot of work to do, that is what we figured out.
Now, Back Alley Bikes is not an advocacy organization and I don’t think Tefra was trying to change policy in one meeting. What we wanted to and what we did accomplish was that we got a bunch of folks that ride bikes in the same room to talk about issues they face when trying to exist on the road by two wheels.
So what are we facing? For folks in the suburbs, it seemed that they had nowhere to ride. People driving aren’t looking for cyclists and even when they follow all the laws, cyclists still get hit. The bus system is inadequate if you want to come down into the city to ride.
On the other side, the folks in the city couldn’t figure out the best way to get OUT by bicycle. Though we can go most places within the city without a problem.
We talked about road design, who is developing these designs and which are the best. Do we need more or less signs? Which is more effective: a sign that says “slow down!” or having slimmer roads which cause people in cars to drive more cautiously? How do we hold public officials accountable to these plans they create but don’t always follow up on?
Then the big question came: how do you convince anyone this is a good idea? There is data saying that these “road diets” slow traffic and save lives, but some people don’t want to hear it. Why won’t they hear it? Think about this. If you ride your bike a good amount there has to be a chance that someone in your family or a friend has said to you, “You rode where!? But, but, but, but…that isn’t safe! Aren’t you afraid of totally dieing!?”
I remember going to a conference of gym teachers and we were talking about adding a “bicycle to the school” day. We also talked about having kids ride as part of gym class. One teacher mentioned that she WOULD love to do it, BUT it “just wasn’t safe.”
“I would never let my child bike to school.” She said, “There are too many cars near the school in the morning.”
I responded, “I can understand wanting your child to be safe, but what is your alternative?”
“I drive her to school.”
“So if there are too many cars around the school, are you making the school safer or more dangerous? In other words, are you part of the problem or part of the solution?”
For some reason we never stop to think that we ourselves are the ones we fear. We “can’t” do Y because of X. So we go and do X instead. It is a common fallacy in our own brains that make us ignore facts and go on the easy path, even if that path isn’t so easy. It is just what everyone else does.
Everyone talks about ending “dependence on foreign oil!” which usually is some sort of semi-racist/xenophobic comment about the middle east. But the facts are that we get a lot of oil from “foreign” Canada. Also, we could reduce that dependence by promoting cycling, mass transit and…gasp! walking/rolling. So why aren’t record amounts of money being poured into complete streets all over the region? It is what people want right?
Again, it goes back to a few ways our brains malfunction. It is a combination of neglect of probability, confirmation bias and the fundamental attribution error. Neglect of probability is when a politician tells you that they can’t promote cycling to school for kids because “it is dangerous”. Then they get in a metal box filled with explosive fuel and make it go 80mph. Sure, cyclists get hurt and even die on the road, but the same can be said of motorists. Statistically speaking, they are willing to ignore one set of probability and focus on the other. This is seen as the “easier way” to go, but it works against their fight to end oil dependence.
Confirmation bias is similar. Someone has a belief based on…nothing. There are no facts to back it up, “Cycling just isn’t safe!” “Why?” “Because you’ll get hit by a car!” If you invite that person for a bike ride with you and they don’t get hit by a car, then they have to admit they are wrong. So not only do they have to change their position, but they have to go through the emotional embarrassment of being a “flip–flopper“. So instead, after a great ride they’ll come up with some story about how someone died once on a bike to prove their original point that was just disproved by their own experience.
Finally we have the fundamental attribution error to wrap it all up. How many times do you read a news article or headline basically blaming cyclists for their own deaths? Or you hear “They should never have been in the road in the first place!” The accident is attributed to a character flaw in the cyclists that is completely made up. We don’t want to admit that maybe the driver was drunk, maybe the driver hit a patch of ice, maybe the cyclist was drunk, maybe it was raining and hard to see, maybe the cyclist’s light had just ran out of batteries…it could be so many things. But we jump to conclusions and attribute these things to flaws in other people. We do this because we don’t want to admit that there are just things in life that happen. Accidents happen and we have no control.
Actually…I have to add one more. It is called “Special Pleading”. It is when you get to be the exception to the rule for no reason. As with the statement above, many folks want to say, “Roads are dangerous because there are so many cars!!! But I drive because I want my family to be safe.” These are two ideas that are opposites. Most people would say they are safe because they are INSIDE the car, but if cars are the problem you are stating – then adding another adds more danger right? How can only you be the exception to the rule? Why is everyone else a crazy driver and you are the only saint behind the wheel? That is an alternative reality. That is special pleading.
So how do we battle all these ways our brains are hardwired to ignore the facts that change can be good for our communities and roads?
Well, again Back Alley Bikes is not an advocacy organization and I’m not about to give you answers that are going to instantly change the world but here are a few thoughts:
1) Ride with other folks and ride consistently. For some people this takes form in critical mass or tour de troit. For others, blocking traffic and riding a few hundred deep doesn’t reflect their daily experience, so they organize smaller rides. Even riding to work everyday with two other people will change things.
Because as more people are out riding and not dieing instantly, the harder it is to keep all those mental fallacies alive.
2) Speak up. At the round table discussion last night there was much talk about how Clinton Township is a horrible place to ride a bike (as is most of Macomb County). Two folks that live in Clinton Township that were at the meeting now know they aren’t the only ones there.
Those mental fallacies can go both ways. When you ride alone you can come to the conclusion that you are in fact alone and that all the motorists on the road want you dead. But sometimes you speak up and find out that some motorists agree with you or that some are even cyclists as well!
There isn’t always a “bikes vs. cars” war happening. When people actually talk to each other, things become so much less black and white.
3) Know your facts/rights. This is where I need improvement myself. There are so many myths out there. People are still asking years later if they need to register their bike in Detroit (no, not by law you don’t).
After telling people the wrong information I found out that riding a bike on the sidewalk IS legal, but just not a good idea at all statistically speaking.
In fact, riding in the road makes the most sense being that the first mile of paved road in America (Woodward Ave.) was paved because of the “Good Roads” movement. A movement of cyclists for cyclists. So when someone tells you to “get out of the road!” tell them you paved it!
4) Do what is right for you. Not everyone is gonna be a car-free radical tomorrow. It just isn’t practical or possible for some people. Don’t get on the “cyclist” side of the fence and start using the same mental fallacies to discredit the “other side” of the debate. Lowering yourself to the level of stupidity does nothing.
As I’ve mentioned above – it isn’t always a matter of enemies. There are politicians that aren’t cyclists willing to help change their neighborhoods for the benefit of those that do ride – because they see the benefit for everyone. It isn’t always about you and bikes alone. Work with pedestrians, business owners and yes, even motorists to find what our common interest is.
5) Remember that we are humans. I’ve used the terms “cyclist”, “motorist” and “pedestrian” in this article, but these terms are tricky. They are tricky because they ignore the fact that really we are all just people trying to get somewhere. We are all just using transportation. “Road user” would be an equally as true label to give to everyone.
The final step is to get beyond “bike culture” and really have a “road culture” where we can all share. Because bicyclists need to know how to interact with cars, buses, trains and pedestrians just like cars need to know the same information.
Can’t we all just get along?
So hopefully after last night’s meeting there will be some folks meeting and talking more. At the very least two people in Clinton Township know they aren’t completely alone. Here at Back Alley Bikes we are going to continue to do what we do best – get kids onto bikes to increase the numbers of riders. Then we’ll take them on rides and show them how to share the road with others.
So keep riding and speaking up. These kids need to know they won’t be alone once they get older.