Scary Roads and Kind Strangers

Earlier this week, I was pulling out my bike for the ride into campus as our neighbor, Avery, was getting on the school bus. Avery--who is in third grade--and I leave for school at about the same time a few days each week. I often see and wave to her school bus two or three times during the ride in--once as it picks up Avery, once as it passes me in the other direction, and once as it drops students off at the high school. This day, as Avery boarded the bus, the bus driver climbed down and introduced herself. "If you ever want a ride," she offered, "I could probably take you and your bike on the school bus."

I explained that our car was sitting in the parking lot nearby and that I was riding my bike for a school project, but I was touched by her kindness. Now as the big, yellow bus passes me there are two people on board that I wave to. And, who knows, as the weather gets colder, I might take her up on the offer. It is, after all, a form of public transportation.

Over the past month or so, people have begun to notice us riding our bikes. I often get comments from people saying, "Oh, I saw you riding your bike on Rte. 30." This usually is quickly followed by a comment about the shoulder being narrow or the road being scary. Sometimes the person will add something about how they would ride their bike, but the road is too dangerous for that.

I've thought about these comments. After all, many days of the week Tim or I are carrying our son with us while we ride. I have come to the conclusion that the road is not scary; there really is nothing about the road itself that is dangerous. It meanders up and down a few hills, goes around some bends, and skirts the edge of the lake. It is plenty wide for a posse of bicycles to ride on. The road isn't scary; cars are scary.

All joking aside, it seems to me that the more people get out and use roads for something besides driving cars, the safer it will be for everyone using non-motorized transportation. If no one ever rides a bike or walks on a particular stretch of highway, then motorists won't be on the lookout for slower, more vulnerable travelers. If motorists are accustomed to seeing others using the roadways, I like to think that they will drive more cautiously.

We are lucky here. I rarely feel endangered by cars on my commute. Most drivers are very respectful as they pass, slowing down and giving me plenty of space. I'm grateful to all those who show such courtesy. Even though the shoulder is only six inches wide in places, it's plenty of space for me to get mostly out of the travel lane. And, altogether, there really isn't that much traffic. Some mornings I only see a dozen or so vehicles on the way into town. So, the short is, the road's not scary and the cars aren't too bad either. (Snow on the roads might change my views on some of that.)