These Guys

Month: October 2015

Looking, but not seeing

Posted on October 29, 2015December 19, 2020 by ljleathem

“In the city, ride like you’re invisible. As if nobody can see you. Because a huge percentage of the time, nobody can.”

Jason Makapagal, bicycle messenger

The Crash

And that seems to be what happened last week at a school near me. A police officer friend called to let me know of the crash:

The bicyclist was riding in the right lane of a road with two lanes going in her direction. She saw a car in the driveway of the school waiting to enter the roadway. The motorist looked towards her, and the bicyclist believed that she had made eye contact with the motorist. Apparently, though, the motorist didn’t see the bicyclist, and began to edge out into the street to make a left turn immediately in front of the bicycle driver…

The bicyclist swerved to avoid the crash. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

But here’s the rub. The motorist didn’t see the bicyclist. Even though the bicyclist looked right at her, and was in the right lane, where she was supposed to be. She did everything right, and still almost got nailed.

Looking, But Not Seeing

Many motorists look, but don’t see. Let me explain. We all have filters. It’s the way our minds work. Without them, we could not focus on the important things around us. We couldn’t differentiate sounds. For example; ambient noise would be no more or less noticeable than the conversation we’re in, and no different from the sound of the fire engine’s siren coming up behind us. Our brains have evolved to help us sort out the things that matter. The same thing happens visually. Without any filters, the page-turning of the person sitting next to you in the plane would have no more or less importance than the bag about to tumble out of the overhead bin into your lap.

In the same way, a motorist filters the environment, searching for things that matter. It is vitally important for a driver to know when a car or truck is coming down the road before he/she comes out of a driveway into a travel lane. So he looks, doesn’t see any cars, and proceeds out into the roadway. “Oh, no! There was a bicyclist there! I didn’t see her!”

The reality of that situation is that even though the motorist saw the bicyclist, his brain filtered out the bicyclist. So even though the bicyclist WAS in fact in the motorist’s field of vision, his brain considered and discarded that part of the picture. Now you’re questioning what I’m talking about…Want to see it for yourself? Go here to see what I’m talking about. Really. Take a couple of minutes to watch this video. I’ll wait…

OK, you’re back. That was fun, wasn’t it? Did you fall for it?

Most people fail the test in the video. If you didn’t go take the test, you really should. I’ll give you another chance here.

What happened to you is probably the same thing that happened in the incident I used to start this post. The motorist looked, but didn’t see what was right in front of her.

The Moral

The moral of the story: Please look around you. Please SEE what’s around you. Let’s watch out for each other.

Melancholy…no

Posted on October 20, 2015December 19, 2020 by ljleathem

“More than any other emotion, melancholy is incompatible with bicycling.”

–James E. Starrs, The Noiseless Tenor

What he said. I’ve ridden my bike at various times with various emotions and feelings: in happiness and in uncertainty. With vigor and in deep tiredness. Mindless and mindful. Hot, cold, wet, dry. With riding companions, and alone. And it just about always changes me. Sometimes just a bit, and sometimes a lot. My spirits are lifted. My body rejoices in the motion. My mind clears. There is no room for melancholy.

I have often found that riding brings me into a mindful state. It is much the same as meditation. I guess you could say it’s a physical meditation, perhaps the same as that achieved when walking a labyrinth. On long rides, in particular, the repetitive motion of turning the pedals in a cadence of the body creates a rhythm in the mind and spirit. Much like a mantra, or the rosary for Catholics, a ride becomes a repetitive and contemplative prayer.

It’s not always that. I remember, after my crash in 2012, when the doctor finally said I could get back on my bike. Because of the way that crash happened I never went through any feeling of fear in getting back on that horse: I had fallen; I didn’t hit anything or anyone, and I was not hit. I have absolutely no memory surrounding the crash. So when I actually got on my bike, it was with anticipation and excitement. That was the most emotional ride I’ve ever done. I was so filled with joy I almost couldn’t contain it.

My wife sat home in fear, hoping that all was well. And it most certainly was. When I got home, she told me the look on my face was one of childish glee and excitement.

And sometimes it’s a test. For example, when the wind blows at me hard and forces me to work for every tenth of a mile. Or the thunderstorm starts when I’m halfway through a ride. Or up that climb once again. On those days it’s all about my body. I feel every turn of the cranks. I feel the air going into and out of my lungs. I feel the muscles in my legs.

And sometimes, a bike ride is just a bike ride.

But most of the time, a ride just fixes “it.” Whatever “it” is. I return home more at peace. Maybe more tired, or maybe less so. But always recharged and ready for whatever it is that comes next.

See you on the bike!

Changing minds…a few at a time

Posted on October 8, 2015December 19, 2020 by ljleathem

As an avid road bike rider, one thing I began to think more and more about was law: specifically, the intersection between motorists and bicyclists. Then, I joined the League of American Bicyclists and took a course that talked about driving my bicycle. That course codified the need for bicyclists to follow the same principles that motorists follow on the road.

New Jersey law, like the law in every other state, explicitly gives bicycle riders the same rights and responsibilities as drivers of motor vehicles. Many motorists do not understand this. Even most police officers, including those focused on traffic enforcement, have the perspective of a motor vehicle operator. Talking to officers around the state, I learned that many of them do not realize how different traffic appears to a bicyclist. They also did not fully understand the challenges bicyclists face in dealing with motorists.

So, I created a course designed to teach New Jersey law enforcement officers exactly how NJ motor vehicle law applies to bicyclists. I thought at the time that the best way to get officers to understand what it’s like to drive a bike would probably be…to get them on bikes.

The course addressed the “Three E’s of Traffic Safety:” Education, Engineering, and Enforcement, in the classroom. Then, I got them on bikes to practice hazard avoidance drills, and to ride on a variety of roads ranging from low-speed, residential streets to major highways, on roads with and without shoulders so they could understand how roadway design, traffic and road conditions affect bicyclists. I was fortunate to conduct the course in Camden, Essex, Middlesex, Ocean, and Passaic Counties in August and September, reaching 48 officers. I taught it with another League Cycling Instructor, who is also an active police officer and bicycle racer. He was able to provide the police perspective to his colleagues. It also helped that he was up front teaching rather than just some guy (me) trying to tell cops how to do their job…

The dual approach made the program work. Classroom discussion helped officers become more aware of how motor vehicle code applies to bicyclists. The “Aha!” moments started, though, once the officers got out from behind the steering wheel of a police car and onto two wheels.

As the experts on traffic law, officers have an intellectual understanding that bicyclists have the same rights and duties as motorists. But, honestly, getting them on the bikes made the difference. Many of the 48 officers who participated in the course commented on this to me. I heard things like, “I have a new respect for people who ride bikes now,” and “Now I understand what it’s like to try to ride on these roads.” I also heard, “I’m not visible on the bike unless I take the lane and ride in traffic,” and “It really does work better when I behave more like a car.”

My hope is that I’ve planted a seed.