fear on wheels

I have a fear of cyclists. It's hard to admit to. I fear some people on bicycles more than I fear drivers in cars. Irrational? Maybe - but cars don't drive on the sidewalk, usually. I fear those cyclists who whizz through pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk, who pass me by a hairbreadth with no warning, no care. I fear cyclists who blast through a crosswalk when pedestrians have the light, although admittedly not as much as I fear drivers who do the same. The need to preserve momentum at all costs seems to be an overwhelming need for some cyclists.

Conditions that make it easier for cars to speed also invite cyclists to speed - smooth pavements, wide turning radii on curves. I've walked amidst hordes of cyclists in Copenhagen and not felt this fear. For some reason fewer cyclists there show a need for speed - perhaps because of rough cobbled pavements? Because they have no concerns, confident that they can safely get where they want to go, on their bike? Perhaps they just have to slow down because of congestion - there are crowds of cyclists on the tracks, and throngs of cyclists mixing with pedestrians in some of the public plazas. We don't yet have that "critical mass" of cyclists, and our serious bicycle commuters are forced to ride with auto traffic. They behave accordingly, even when inappropriate. Cyclists are "soft" and should be treated as such, not treated like automobiles. They need their own space.

Our Market has rough brick paving, and cyclists do slow down. Too many still try to ignore pedestrian presence. I watched this cyclist driving into the market while a crowd was gathered for the holiday lighting ceremony. He seemed to have an overwhelming need to keep on the bike, wheels rolling, until it was absolutely impossible to proceed through the throngs of humanity. He finally stopped and looked around, acknowledging the "critical mass" of pedestrians.