[Image-1]
When you’re a pedestrian, you hate drivers. When you’re a driver, you hate pedestrians. And when you’re a cyclist, everyone hates you.
We’ve all been there—in the driver’s seat, so to say. I myself am a former quasi-cyclist, and a current motorist, and even I have caught myself getting lame-ass road rage when I’m caught behind a cyclist. This active, environmentally conscious and hardworking samaritan, who’s squeezing out every ounce of vigour from their calves and quads to get them from point A to point B. Is there anything more respectable? And yet, many of us find ourselves aggravated at them.
“Faggot.” That’s what Sean MacGillivray was recently called for riding his bike this past winter near Coburg Road—but he’s not fazed. “It’s got to be hard having a micro-penis like that, so whatever,” he says.
MacGillivray, a Cape Breton ex-pat who’s clocked thousands of kilometres over the years (as well as a few collisions), has a pretty good attitude about it all, despite the verbal abuse that’s been hurled his way.
“There are a few a-holes, of course, and I have begun to notice patterns in terms of the type of vehicle driven by them,” he writes via email.
Frequent offenders include what he calls the Cavalier/Sunfire/Cobalt family of cheap, “fast” domestic cars, lower-end BMWs (“the poor man’s rich man’s car, for those with something to prove”) and pickup trucks of any variety. “I give all these vehicles a wide berth, and also avoid cars with obvious at-fault damage, like front-end dings and dents.”
But aside from the run-of-the-mill bully population, MacGillivray thinks Halifax might have a bad attitude towards cyclist respect (or lack thereof) because it’s a melting pot of many different types of motorists.
“One thing about Halifax is that a large number of its drivers are actually from smaller communities in Nova Scotia and elsewhere, and are overwhelmed by ‘big-city’ driving,” he claims. “Cycling is not widely adopted in smaller communities, so motorists from those communities are frequently unprepared to navigate along with cyclists.”
Just ask Curtis Spriggs, an avid cyclist who’s been in a couple collisions. Overall, his Halifax biking career has been a positive one, but he’s no stranger to our city’s cycling reputation.
“Perhaps the reason for the belief that Halifax isn’t bicycle-friendly is the lack of bike lanes,” he says. “There’s only really three to four major bike lanes on streets in Halifax, which might be a turn-off to people who are afraid to share the road with vehicles.”
For the experienced cyclists, biking in Halifax is a tough-but-dealt-with way to get around. But for newbies, it can be pretty intimidating. Sam Shannon just bought a bike this past April. She says even before she made the purchase, there were looming rumours of Halifax’s negative attitude towards cyclists that made her wary.
“I think growing up in Halifax, [there’s] always just been a mindset of Haligonians that bikers are annoying,” she says. “For me, it’s not about bikers being annoying. It just looks dangerous and scary. Bikers just kind of go for it in Halifax because they don’t really have a choice. There’s not a lot of room for them, or special lanes, so they have to just bike alongside cars and hope the cars cooperate. My mindset has more been ‘I would never bike the streets of Halifax.’”
MacGillivray says it can be helpful to use the negativity around cycling as fuel for a more assertive style when riding. In turn, maybe not everyone will hate you. “I had a cabbie pull up to me once and say ‘You know what, buddy? You’re doing everything right,’” he says. “I signal my turns, I yield to pedestrians, my bike is lit like a Pink Floyd concert, and I try to be courteous in general.”
Halifax’s cycle-hating culture could have its roots in misconceptions, a lack of bike infrastructure or just a clean-cut dislike for those that peddle. In any case, there’s a bike-hating atmosphere that still looms over our cyclist population. It’s probably about time that changed.
Related Stories
The felon cyclist
Cycling’s not just for hipsters
How to keep your skirt down when bike riding
The long, winding road to getting a bike lane built in Halifax
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2015.
Wow! what a negative piece of press for cycling 🙁 . Having move here over 15 years ago and cycle commuted to work every day in that time, I’ve watched cycle infrastructure and usage glow like wild fire in this city.
It may be helpful for the author of this piece to ride a bike in a city that is not as friendly and easy to navigate as Halifax. Cities like Memphis, Dallas, or Miami frequently make ‘top 10 worst’ lists. I don’t feel there is a lot of perspective in this piece.
Just a year ago Halifax placed 9th on a ‘Top 11 Neighbourhoods for Commuting by Bike’ by City Clock Magazine.
Things are feeling a little one sided here 🙁
No, this is the Coast. This is their raison d’être.
Anyway, from my personal experience I find it erroneous to limit poor driving habits to the Cavalier/Sunfire/Cobalt family of cheap, “fast” domestic cars, lower-end BMWs (“the poor man’s rich man’s car, for those with something to prove”) and pickup trucks of any variety.
As a person who has had his fair share of negative interactions with motorists over the past 20+ years of commuting (but honestly, not very many considering the thousands of miles I’ve commuted in that time) I can claim with some authority that no specific vehicle contains the dreaded anti-cyclist and to say so is naive on the authors part.
I sometimes think (and have observed) that some cyclists are going out of their way to make trouble for themselves.
What I have noticed is that ALOT of cyclists pick and choose how they behave on the roads. For example, Driving ON the road means obeying the signs and street lights like all other drivers. ( Not choosing to all of a sudden act like a pedestrian when you decide to drive across the crosswalk with the WALK light to beat traffic) Or going through red lights and stop signs. I have seen this so often. I daresay THAT is why ACTUAL drivers have a beef.
Either drive on the road and act like an automobile, or walk and act like a pedestrian…. Don’t pick and choose when it is convenient for you…
Thanks
The problem, Roxanne, is that cyclists shouldn’t have to “act like an automobile”–they aren’t automobiles, and to say they must behave just like a car is to give in to the idea that our roads are strictly for cars, and if anyone else is there on any other type of vehicle, they have to emulate cars. Obviously cyclists should obey all the basic rules: yield appropriately, stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, signal lane changes, stop at red lights (I HATE when cyclists go through red lights.)
But there are other ways in which we have to accept that bikes are a different kind of vehicle. For example, stop signs: For a cyclist to stop and start at every stop sign is really physically demanding, to a degree that becomes ridiculous (which is why almost no cyclist obeys every stop sign.) Some jurisdictions recognize this and permit cyclists to do a “rolling stop” through a stop sign (basically slowing down, making sure the way is clear, and treating it as a yield).
City streets aren’t just for “drivers.” They’re for all road users, and it makes sense to tailor road rules to the kind of vehicle you’re using, as long as the biggies–yielding, red lights, right-of-way, etc.–remain the same.
I want to like cyclists, really I do.
The thing is, for every good cyclist there is on the road, there’s several assholes over and above that one that make things miserable for both drivers and pedestrians – be it not signalling turns or lane changes, using crosswalks to skip ahead of traffic, hopping on and off the sidewalk, and screaming down sidewalks and trails past people that are trying to enjoy a more leisurely walk or cycle. My personal favorite is the ones (and I see at least six a day) that give people the stink eye as they go past on said sidewalks or trails, as if they’re being inconvenienced by others using the paths.
Ultimately, while there’s a certain attitude on the part of many motorists, there’s also those few idiots that give cycling a bad rap. It’s a great way to get around, and a great way to get some exercise, but there’s those that want to ruin it for everyone.
People need to chill out on the hating. What about people that take cabs? grrrr… look at them, sitting in the back seat like royalty.
Fact is, we all have to get around town. Respect each others need to get around, how ever that happens.
Yes clearly this guy is unfazed by responding “well my dick is bigger than yours!”
Just this morning I had a woman on a bike decide to swerve in front of me, from the right shoulder to the middle of the lane, without even glancing backwards. When I had a chance to pass I observed she had her fucking ipod in as well. If I hadn’t been paying attention I would have plowed directly into her – I really don’t want to kill anyone and it had me rattled all morning.
I want to like cyclists as well, but they can and often are a real menace.
I want to like motorists, really I do.
The thing is, for every good motorist there is on the road, there’s several assholes over and above that one that make things miserable for both cyclists and pedestrians – be it not signalling turns or lane changes, weaving in and out of lanes, and screaming down residential streets past people that are trying to enjoy a more healthy walk or cycle. My personal favorite is the ones (and I see at least six a day) that are completely oblivious to the world around them as they go past on said streets, as if they’re in a narcoleptic trance.
Ultimately, while there’s a certain attitude on the part of many motorists, there’s also those many idiots that give driving a bad rap. It’s a lazy, polluting way to get around, and a great way to get a pack of smokes, and they’re the ones that want to ruin it for everyone.
Hmm. The number one concern of would be cyclists is traffic; motor vehicles. The number one complaint of people driving (we’re all people, doing different things, not *A* motorist or *A* cyclist) seems to be cyclists not obeying the rules of the road. As someone who cycles, I do not obey the rules of the road because they are intended for cars, which are massive weapons in the hands of people who could be distracted. If it’s convenient for me, and I deem it safe, I will not stop at a stop sign or a red light (and why draw that arbitrary distinction between them?). Why? Because my movement is so much less dangerous than someone who is driving. And why this should be supported is because driving is bad for people’s physical health, dangerous to other users of public space, damages the environment, is noisy and makes the city a treacherous and unpleasant place. We are not “equal” when driving and cycling. Cycling should be supported and driving should be discouraged. Politically. For a host of reasons.
Roxann Miller said exactly what I was going to say, though I will add that I see cyclists breaking actual cycling rules as well: running stop signs, not wearing helmets, etc. But most of all I hate how they block REAL traffic. And don’t give me this B.S. about how bikes are traffic, no they’re not. REAL traffic can actually move at traffic speeds. I TOTALLY understand why bikes need to be out on the road on busy pedestrian streets like Spring Garden, but why can’t they use sidewalks on less busy streets? Who came up with that idiotic law? %90 of the sidewalks in this town are almost always empty and certainly navigable by cyclists but nah we have to have them out in the road blocking cars.
Screw cycling, what we NEED in this town is a good transit system, but we’ll never get it with the chimps we have running Metro (I refuse to call it Halifax) Transit.
Rules to Cycle By:
1) If there is no car you cannot get hit
2) If you do get hit, it is going to hurt you more than the car
3) Be your own crossing guard
Clearly there is a lot of confusion with what rules cyclists should be obeying. We have some drivers here complaining that cyclists are breaking the rules they follow, and some cyclists saying they don’t have to follow those rules.
Suggestion: Make the rules of cycling and how to act as, and around, a cyclist on the road part of driver’s ed/beginner test. Perhaps this already exists, but I can’t remember what the rules are. Refresher video anyone?
According to my Strava account I cycled 5,679km last year. This was done primarily in Toronto. Halifax is a treat to cycle in compared to that. However, Halifax drivers are far more hostile. They are more inclined to shout and scream, honk for no reason, try to sandwich you into the curb, etc.
I agree with Roger. I’ve had fewer negative encounters in Halifax than in Ottawa, where people are bred to be quiet, passive and non-confrontational.
hishighness: The reason cyclists can’t use sidewalks (or shouldn’t, legally) is because it’s potentially dangerous to pedestrians. If a cyclist is on the sidewalk at a speed that’s slow enough to safely enough to navigate around pedestrians, well, that’s too damn slow for someone on a bike. But to go faster would be dangerous.
Ergo, the street. I agree that slow cyclists are a frustration to drivers (they can be a frustration eve to faster cyclists) but slow-moving vehicles can be a fact of life on city streets.
And hey, if there were more dedicated bike lanes, bikes would be mostly out of the way of cars, eh?
People who drive cars pay a lot of money for their vehicles, the maintenance, gas and insurance. Modern roads are primarily designed as conduits for cars. Naturally, drivers feel like the roads are “their space” which they have earned the right to enjoy by virtue of their personal investments.
Cyclists make drivers feel nervous. They interfere with the easy flow of cars on their own territory. I don’t think that “following the rules of the road” has as much to do with the animosity as some commenters believe.
As a cyclist, I find this incredibly unfortunate, to say the least. We need to let go of the idea of wanting to be liked by everyone.
@Roxann Miller
So cyclists aren’t “ACTUAL” drivers and yet you want them to do exactly what cars do when on the road? Isn’t that impossible? Can any cyclist hit 50kmh? Is a cyclist weaving through traffic dangerous to anyone but the cyclist him or herself? So you want cyclists to be either cars or pedestrians? So then why would anyone want to ride a bike? OH, I SEE now: you don’t want *anyone* to ride a bike. Because you get annoyed. That sucks for you.
Oh, a story came around a little bit ago that I’ve been waiting for for a looooooong time. Seems cyclists want to be able to ride their bikes in Point Pleasant Park, but wait I thought that cyclists COULDN’T drive on the sidewalks because sidewalks have pedestrians on them and that’s dangerous, but there are pedestrians on the trails of Point Pleasant Park aren’t there?
Just proved to me what I already knew, cyclists and their supporters are full of shit. I fully admit as a driver I want the road to myself, but the difference is I actually pay taxes, vehicle fees and insurance for that right. Cyclists are just a bunch of hippie freeloaders who want to use the roads without paying for them.
@ hishighness
We don’t pay taxes? Your parking lots and pollution are a blight on our landscape. We pay for the stupidity of your ignorance in ways that you couldn’t imagine. Entitled people like yourself will have the toughest time adjusting to the harsh realities of the real world when it comes crashing in through your false sense of security and it will. I feel sorry for you, truly.
I’ve been cycling in Halifax and, before that, Saint John, for 12 years. Before that I had no car in Asia for seven years. I do have a car now since 2008, but try to use my bicycle most of the time. My one wish is that more people my age would cycle, which would put more pressure on HRM council to speed up building cycling infrastructure. I’d like to offer people support to start cycling. I could go out with newbies in quiet areas and ride and talk to them about how I keep safe. Contact me on Facebook. There are too many myths about how dangerous it is. If you talk to people who cycle here all the time, you can get wise to the things to avoid. First off, don’t wear dark colours and have good lights and even fluorescent markers on your bike. Don’t be a smart ass, but do be humble. It is just such a wonderful way to live and so healthy to do your errands and commutes by cycling. Bicycles have gotten so much lighter and comfortable and there’s great support in this city with all the shops and super knowledgeable mechanics. I really haven’t found Halifax dangerous to cycle in but I agree that there are some bad streets and a few very unaware, not humble drivers and I agree with a poster here that 90% of my few incidents have been with BMW drivers, for some reason. I also think that some cyclists get overconfident and take chances. Overconfidence is more dangerous than being a bit cautious but if the way is clear at a stop sign crosswalk or sidewalk, it makes sense to utilize those areas differently like someone here said it doesn’t make sense to come to a complete stop if there are no cars coming or not ride on the sidewalk if there are no people on the sidewalk and it means avoiding a busy street like Robie that has no cycling infrastructure. Granted, I’m careful and I do go on the sidewalks to avoid busy streets and I always dismount if a pedestrian is on the sidewalk. I totally agree with “pigeon” that cyclists can’t use the roads exactly like motorists. That’s why cities build complete cycling infrastructure.
I have written almost 100 reasons to cycle in my Facebook “Notes” and health and reducing carbon emissions are pretty big ones for me. The peninsula is really an ideal place to cycle distance wise. It would be great if commuters could park in a big lot somewhere at the outskirts of the peninsula, then use a Velib system to commute downtown. Better still, if you work in Halifax, live in Halifax and become a cyclist in your daily life. There are ways to do it inexpensively, like hosting students to help with rent or mortgages.