[Note: Most people who read this will already be aware of these things. I’ll probably be preaching to the choir. But I had to get it out anyway. And I don’t care if it sounds like a lecture. You know how it is.]
This morning was like any other. I sat stopped at a red light while cyclist after…
Stopping at red lights is low on the list of priorities for the ethical cyclist.
Once your own personal safety has been secured, your cycling should be informed by awareness of others, by the intention of not endangering them or negatively impacting their experience on the road.
Here are cycling actions that impact cyclists and motorists negatively, and which should be avoided.
- Riding against traffic.
- Not announcing ones pass.
- Not wearing lights, or otherwise being visible.
- Riding on the sidewalk.
When I encounter these actions, I am more likely than not to comment on or otherwise try to correct the behavior.
Here are some cycling actions that do not affect other cyclists and motorists.
- Not wearing a helmet.
- Not stopping at stop signs or red lights.
If I have assessed the safety of proceeding through an intersection and have decided that I can do so without impacting other citizens of the road, then I usually give myself permission to break that traffic law and continue through.
If one chooses to address these minor, not-hurting-anybody offenses, then they do so on shaky ethical ground, because through their heckling it is now they who are needlessly, negatively impacting someone else’s experience on the road.
