Can't we all just get along?

Wow! Suddenly on-street bicycling is downright hazardous in Boise! Another member of the cycling community - Kevin Pavlis of Meridian - has been killed in a car/motor-vehicle collision. Based on the information available so far, it sounds like Kevin was doing everything right, and it's likely the fault of the inexperienced and careless motorist.

Story HERE.

As is often the case on the Statesman's website, there are plenty of comments posted. Some are empathetic; some are well-informed. Many are ignorant of facts and totally lacking in common sense. (It never ceases to amaze me how some folks are eager to put their ignorance on public display, no matter the topic. It must be the anonymity.)

Unfortunately, many (most?) of the comments seem to be expressions of hostility, by motorists towards cyclists and vice-versa. Can any good come from such "discussions"?

Motorists resent being held up by cyclists. Especially when it's a "pack" of cyclists and they aren't riding single-file. They resent cyclists who hug the line, rather than the edge of the pavement. They resent cyclists who don't stop at stop signs or red lights. They resent cyclists who "weave in and out of traffic." (I'm sure way down deep, many resent that cycling is so much more healthy than driving... and that cyclists get infinite MPG... and that when heavy traffic is involved, cyclists can generally make much better time.)

Cyclists, rightfully, resent their lives being put in danger by motorists who are either careless or malicious. They resent that so many motorists are ignorant of the subtle differences between car laws and bike laws. (Speaking for myself, I wish every motorist had to spend a month commuting by bicycle. It could be the most PERFECT month - they don't have to deal with the weather-related stuff, or any of that. They should just get a view-from-the-saddle of the dynamics of dealing with traffic.)

Frankly, I'm frustrated.

I'm frustrated every time I see some doofus on a bike riding against traffic ("bike salmon" is a term I've recently been familiarized with).

I'm frustrated when I see somebody riding at night, in dark clothes, with no lights.

I'm frustrated when I see close calls on sidewalks, involving bikes and side-approaching cars.

I'm frustrated every time I see a motorist needing to take an evasive measure to avoid plowing into somebody on a bike who's not doing it right.

I've been frustrated several times when I've called and emailed the law enforcers to ask for stepped-up enforcement on, and on behaf of, cyclists... and have been told "Bike riders aren't a priority for the department." Well... maybe they SHOULD be!!!

I'm also frustrated when I see experienced cyclists, who should know better, who seem to have absolutely NO regard for "bicycle diplomacy." Sure, it might be legal to ride two abreast. But if you've got 10 or 15 steaming motorists queued up behind you, resenting your presence... don't you care?

We all stereotype. (I dismiss every pickup-truck driver as a mentally-defective macho redneck, even though only about 80% fit the description!) And likewise, bad bike behavior results in every cyclist being stereotyped as a self-absorbed ignorant scofflaw, stuffed into tight lycra.

I don't expect the motorists to ever see these thoughts.

Or the clueless wankers on bikes.

But I would hope the experienced members of the cycling community would give a bit of thought as to whether they are helping or hurting the image of the average cyclist, in the eyes of the average road-going citizen. Or maybe you just don't care, which would be a shame.

(Condolences to the families and friends of our dear departed cycling brothers.)