The following story actually took place last night. I’ve edited out the umms, uhs, hmms and other conversational faux-pas on my end that might make me sound stupid.

All weekend, it has been cold and rainy (but isn’t it gorgeous today?!). Instead of grading papers or working on my own stuff, I’ve been watching movies (by the way, go watch A Night on Earth and Paris, je T’aime). On my way to Hastings last night, I was pulled over by a cop; I was on my bike. I was tempted, of course, not to stop. But as the red and blue flashed off the icy road in front of me, I knew running that red light wouldn’t be a big deal and I’d probably slip and get a stupid injury trying to get away.

I ran the light on the south side of campus where the speed limit is 15 (on Knowles, the light you hit going west just before the University St. intersection). There is no traffic besides bikes and walkers that cross there. I slowed down, there was nobody coming so I kept riding. The cop must have been right behind me. My stopping proved to be worthwhile, I think, for both of us.

“Do you have your license with you? Or an ID?”
“No. I’m on my bike.” He wasn’t interested in my Hastings rental card.

The cop was actually pretty cool and totally understood why I did what I did. “I understand, it’s cold and windy and you’ve got your momentum built up. It’s just that we’ve been getting some complaints from motorists about bicyclists not following the traffic laws,” he said.

“Well the traffic laws were never designed with bicyclists in mind. There are actually a lot of biking organizations in this country working to change the laws. You’re right though; there are irresponsible bikers out there. There are a lot of irresponsible motorists as well.

He agreed and we continued to talk as he wrote me up a warning. He asked what laws I would change to accommodate bicyclists.

“I think, for a bicyclist, stop signs should be treated as yield signs—slowing and proceeding when and if it is safe—and stop lights should be treated as stop signs—bikers should come to a full stop and proceed when and if it is safe.”
“Which would still make you in the wrong back there, right?”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m ruining it for everyone!
“I can see it from both perspectives,” said the cop. “Sometimes it seems as though there is a battle going on between bikers and motorists. I understand it from both perspectives.”
I piped up immediately. “Lets be honest though, if everyone were out here on a bike, your job would be a lot easier.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”

Then there was a long pause: he finished writing as I looked at the traffic passing us by. I knew what a wanted to ask him.

“Can I ask you a question, just to satisfy my own curiosity?”
“Sure.”
“What would you have done if I simply kept riding? I mean, I know this area pretty well and I’m pretty quick on this thing. I could have got away if I wanted to.”
“Well honestly, you probably would have got away. I would have followed for as long as it were safe, but doing a big pursuit wouldn’t have been worth the risk.”

He went on to talk about the potential offenses I could have been cited with (i.e. fleeing, endangerment…etc), but also mentioned someone they did catch whom they released without charge. He thought for a second and concluded.
“I wouldn’t make this public information (so I will!), but yeah, there is a good chance nothing would happen to you.”

We each said thank you and goodnight; giggling to myself, I peddled away.

I’m working on a larger two-part writing project about how bike punx will save the world.

The other night, I did a free-write on why I love riding my bike, just to prepare. Here it is.

Why do I love riding my bike? That’s a silly question: it’s just fun. That’s why you “ride” a bike while you “drive” a car. But there is much more than that. Being a cyclist is not just an activity, it’s a lifestyle, an ideology. Riding a bike is freedom. You might own your vehicle, but in my book, as long as you’re pumping gas into it, you’re still paying rent. I get by on my own steam; I know all the best short cuts, and I’m never “stuck in traffic.” I feel healthy and strong yet I never have to make a point to exercise.

I don’t have to rely on anyone, any system, or any roads to go where I want. I ride guilt free knowing that my transportation method is not contributing anything negative to my environment. Nor is the fuel necessary to operate my bike one that shapes foreign policy decisions or help to destroy indigenous and nonhuman communities the world over.

The movement of the bike is perfectly engineered to compliment the natural motion of my body. I hate the wind, but I like that I am affected by the weather. This makes me feel more human, more connected to myself and the world around me. I know every bump, curve, and hill from my daily commute as well as I know my bike, which I regard as an extension of my own body.

I don’t need a license to ride. I don’t pay taxes, nor is my bike registered (though technically, it needs to be registered). I don’t need insurance; I deal with my minor injuries and repairs and learn deeply from them.

In truth the world-view of a cyclist is much different than that of a motorist. We think locally. Our perception of time and space is grounded in physical reality. We’re more acutely and intimately affected by the world around us.

My tail light recently fell off my bike and shattered on the pavement. Carrying that thing around was just another thing to worry about anyway.

“okay, I’m late; I’ve got my helmet, my head lamp, my lock, gloves, hat, change of shoes…blah blah.” I think these lights are a pretty good partial-solution to the havoc of accessories.

Designed especially for drop bars, these ingenious little lights are easy to install and replace the end plugs in your current handlebar.

-Super bright red LEDs can be seen for up to a mile away
-Flashing or steady modes
-Batteries included

Last night, I heard a women getting yelled at on her bike by a driver. He said, “get the hell over to the right side before you get hit!” There was a bunch of rocks and broken glass in the bike lane and she was avoiding it. Just a reminder to motorists, according to Arizona state traffic laws for bikes, bicyclists have the right to a full lane under the following unavoidable and frequent circumstances:

28-815. Riding on roadways and bicycle paths; prohibition of motor vehicle traffic on bike paths

A. A person riding a bicycle on a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, except under any of the following situations:
1. If overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
2. If preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
3. If reasonably necessary to avoid conditions, including fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals or surface hazards.
4. If the lane in which the person is operating the bicycle is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.

I went biking in the woods with a friend of mine yesterday. She took a nasty spill going downhill. She got a slight concussion even with the helmet. It was pretty scary; she was unconscious for a minute, woke up and asked me the same 5 questions over and over again. She wanted to keep going, but I only have one rule when I’m biking: a concussion ends the day.

They should be here in a week or so.

Also hate most “biking” clothes? Someone should buy me these pants.

$70 bucks, but pretty sweet….from Portland Cyclewear.

FREE Tune Up Day with COSMIC RAY.
Sept 10th, 9a.m.-2p.m(outside the Bookstore)

Cosmic Ray, local bicycle expert and trail guide author, and Dennis Paprocki,
owner of Flagstaff’s Coffee Pedaler, bike and coffee shop, will both be on
hand with bicycle repair stands to offer free oil, adjustments and
adviceoutside the Bookstore Sponsored by the NAU Bookstore

ESTEVAN ARELLANO
Sept 11th, 7p.m.-9p.m. Gardiner Auditorium School of Business.

Environmental historian, farmer and activist, Estevan Arrellano, will lecture
and then sign his book ANCIENT AGRICULTURE: ROOTS &
APPLICATION OF SUSTAINABLE FARMING. Representatives from the NAU
Bookstore will be on hand to provide copies of the book. This event is
sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Environments.

The Arizona Cardinals are in town for a month-long training thing. I’m sure the altitude training helps their endurance, and I’m sure the clean, cool air is a nice break from Phoenix. The public is invited, everyday, to come watch them practice. I’m not really sure exactly why it would be so entertaining to watch like 20 guys beating ass on dummies and doing field exercises, but that’s just me. They practice on the south field, just east of the sky dome. Every morning, in the bike path, I have to weave in and out of fathers and sons and son’s friends. The mom’s tend to show up later in the day, bringing kids by the SUV-load.

None of this is really a problem. What bugs me is the fact that at the bottom of the hill on South San Fran, they put up steel barricades, which block the entire bike path to facilitate some kind of admissions/ security set up. It pisses me off every single time. The first time it happened, of course, I wasn’t expecting it so I had to slam on my breaks (it’s at the bottom of a hill after a curve, so you can see how that would happen). When I came to a stop, I threw my hands up and yelled at the people at the gate, “this is a f—ing bike lane!” Some fat guy in a Cardinals shirt, two sizes to small, said “not for the next month it’s not.”

I was pretty speechless. I wish I would have had a snappy comeback, but instead I shook my head, walked my bike around the gate and peddled off (which also really sucks because the path immediately goes up hill from there and I’ve lost all my momentum).

The next day, I made a big deal out of it again and a female security guard said, “why don’t you just use the road? I’ve seen others simply take the road.” I said, “people get hit by cars on this road because it’s really skinny with high curbs on both sides. Bikers have nowhere to go. That’s why they created this nice, safe, smooth bike lane!” And they’re blocking it. So now you have a situation where motorists are wondering why bikers don’t just take the bike lane and get the hell out of their way, and, on the other hand, a huge hazard placed in the middle of the bike lane.

The whole thing is really dangerous, actually. While I was stopped and talking with these people, other bikers were hopping on and off the sidewalk around us. Somebody is going to get hurt. Not me though, I’m through with bike accidents ☺

Go Cardinals.

The whole thing goes back to bikers getting the shaft every time. How would it go down if they placed the barricades in the middle of the road? It’s too hard to imagine because it would never happen. There is also no real good reason, that I can see, as to why they can’t just move the barricade in five feet.

Does anyone know whom I should speak to about this? This problem can easily be fixed.

Park(ing) Day 2007

Last week, after having a few beers with Sarah, I was on Beaver, waiting at a stop light at Butler. It was about 12:30am and there were hardly any cars in the area. A older white sedan, pulled up and it’s passengers threw eggs at me. Luckily none of them hit me. One of them hit my handlebars. I was totally stunned, then immediately wished I had a rock. They were gone before I could grab one.

Then a few days ago, I was talking with another rider who had been hit by a rock in the neck just that afternoon! He showed me the marks. It gets worse. He has a friend who was hit with a glass beer bottle the week prior. Apparently it broke across his back.

Just last night I was riding down San Fran in the downtown area and a white suburban, full of younger party kids, pulled up next to me. This dude a few years younger than me started giving me a bunch of crap; when the light changed, the suburban harassed me by slamming on his break, fake turning, swerving…etc. It started driving really slow, expecting me to pass (probably so they could throw something at me), but I just decided to take another route.

Bikers! What can we do here? I see, maybe, a couple of options. My roommate said I should call the police so that it’s on record. But that wouldn’t really make you feel better. Another idea we came up with was just memorize the car, the license number if you can. This town isn’t that big. You’d be sure to stumble upon it in a parking lot sooner or later, especially if you really looked for it.

I guess the last option would be to fight back, which was my inclination at the moment (and that was because of eggs…I can’t imagine how it must feel to get hit with a rock or a bottle). I wouldn’t want to hurt anybody in the car, unless of course they hurt me bad enough, in which case maybe revenge might not be on my mind. Nonetheless, bikers get harassed, I think because of a power relationship that develops on the road, and because of car culture. It might also be rooted in the same mentality that feeds anti-intellectualism in this country. Both of these are related to constructions of masculinity in our culture, whereby any sense of community, a healthy lifestyle, or being conscious of energy and resource consumption, is feminized. By showing power over a biker in a violent way, the threat to their own insecurities is floored and there is no question as to where on the Kinsey scale they would measure up. I mean, this is other men, and performances of strictly defined masculinity that we’re talking about here, right?

What if, instead of stories where some dudes in a car harass bikers and continue to harass bikers, the reputation was such that people were afraid to harass bikers because it was known that each one packs a good throwing rock under their seat. If those jerks in the Suburban threw a rock at my neck, for example, and I immediately broke out their back window, do you think that would deter them from such activities again? Maybe my retaliation would start a war on bikers. I don’t know. I know it would feel great though.