A week ago today, a local fellow was riding a bicycle along
a country road in south Blount County. It was a gorgeous afternoon and perfect
for outdoor activity. Riding alone, he was staying to the right border of a
road and not impeding traffic.
What happened next was dangerous and illegal. A truck drove
by and a passenger in that truck shot this fellow with a paintball gun. Now
this might not seem so bad, people shoot each other in paintball venues
regularly. But those people are expecting it. If you are riding along on a
bicycle, minding your own business, and somebody shoots you with a paintball
gun, it can startle you enough to make you wreck.
This rider only ended up with a nasty welt but if he had
gone down while traveling at 20+ miles per hour, it could have been nasty. My
question is this: Why do people hate us
so much? What do you have against us?
Oh, I’ve heard all the excuses why bicycles shouldn’t be
allowed on the roads. We don’t pay taxes on them. The roads are built for
motorized vehicles. It doesn’t take a license to ride a bicycle. That we hold
up traffic. Some of the other excuses are so lame that they don’t even need to
be mentioned.
Don’t pay taxes? I had to pay sales tax when I bought my
truck but if there is another, an annual tax, I’m seriously in arrears. I paid sales
tax on my bicycle when it was purchased, just like I did on my truck. Same
percentage. Don’t get me started on all the taxes I pay. I pay my share.
The roads are built for motorized vehicles? What about
transfer trucks? They sure are hard on our roads. What about motorcycles? What
about those that don’t have a car but still need to get to work?
No license required to ride a bicycle? Well, you’ve got me
there. If a license is required, I’ll get one. But what about my grandchildren
that love to ride? And we slow you down? We might cost you 30 seconds on your
way to wherever you’re going. Are you really in that big of a hurry?
I don’t ride alone very often. It’s too scary out there.
Most of my rides are group rides. There’s some safety in numbers. We’re easier
to see if there are several of us. And there are witnesses. But even groups
aren’t immune.
I was riding with my wife near our home once. A guy in an
SUV passed us well within the 3 feet that is the law (you’ve got to give a
bicycle 3 feet of clearance). I motioned for him to come back and chat, which
he did. I calmly told him that we were people too, just out for some exercise.
He knew me but when I asked his name, he told me…well…I can’t repeat that. He
showered us with gravel as he spun out.
The next day, now sober, he called me at my office to
apologize. Through tears, he told me that I had never done anything to deserve
that treatment. That’s the good side. The bad side is that my wife never rode a
bike again.
In an obvious attempt to scare us, drivers will drive too
close on a too regular basis. We call it getting “buzzed.” Almost every rider
out there has a story about something being thrown at them while they ride
along. Wrenches. Beer cans. Spit cups. I’ve heard it all.
A regular occurrence is a one-finger salute. We get that all
the time. One time an old guy just passed by a group of us stopped on the side
of the road. It was someone I knew. As he passed slowly by, extending the
middle finger salute, I said “Oh hi, Clarence. How are you doing?” Maybe we
were anonymous up until that point.
But we’re not anonymous. We are people just like you. We’re
your neighbors, your coworkers, your friends.
We’re your fathers, mothers, grandparents, sons, and daughters. We are
just out there trying to enjoy our beautiful area just like you are when you
drive the new Foothills Parkway or the Cherohala Skyway. We just move a little
slower but don’t burn so much gas in doing so.
So tell me, please, why do people hate us? No, really. My
email address is at the end of this column. I want to know.
(joeblackdpt@gmail.com)
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