iRide.2020.04.18 Honking

I was honked at earlier today for riding in the middle of the right-side lane. I followed the advice that my sensei gave me many years ago for use as a first line of defense: I moved on with an empty mind. Those with an education in the classics may recognize Epictetus (c.50-135CE) as an earlier source, but it was from Sensei Ronnie that I learned most of my limited wisdom.

Outrage, a cheap commodity item in the Internet era, would have been pointless: the only person who would have been impacted by my outrage would have been me. Often, we are unable to control what happens to us, but we are able to control the way we feel and how we react. Before you ask, it was a honk, not a toot, and I do know the difference.

The motorcar driver was, I assume, unaware that my road position was dictated by the traveling spray irrigation system in the field immediately bordering the road. The overspray was blowing in the wind and I was distancing myself so that I did not get wet. That driver and I were the only road users in sight. I can only assume again—it's difficult to know without more nuanced communication—that some kind of territoriality was in play.

I regretted that this lack of understanding might cause a member of a particular road-using demographic (motorists) to be prejudiced against another road-using demographic (cyclists) because I was perceived as a nuisance. This was perfectly summed up in an email from Diane 'Di' Shanklin that was waiting for me when I arrived back home:

We would love to have more citizens see cyclists as people who are doing good in the community… not just taking up space on the roads!

Today's headline photo shows Craig Shanklin, Board of Directors of the Southern Utah Bicycle Alliance (SUBA), working with the City of Ivins to identify road hazards. Those areas that are most detrimental to cyclists will be repaired in the very near future. There is also a link in the sidebar to the SUBA Facebook page. The work done by the Shanklins and other SUBA members will benefit other cyclists, and if motorists benefit, too, then so much the better. Cyclists are uniquely positioned among road users to give feedback that may help all road users.

You may also visit Diane and Craig on their Strava accounts (free account login required). On their latest bicycle adventure together, Diane photographed a large tortoise in the West Canyon of the Snow Canyon State Park.

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