A Sunrise Ride Into the Wind

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I set the alarm for 05:30 this morning and when it went off I was tempted to ignore it and sleep more. I had the self-discipline to get up anyway, shower, and then dress for a bike ride. When I was ready to go the watch told me “sunrise in 10 minutes” and I set off then.

On the way to Nyon I was beeped by a car for not using the cycle lane. There was no traffic, and if I had used the cycle lane then either I would have been forced to stop as the car passed me, due to losing my priority. That’s why I stuck to road. I was at over 30 kilometres per hour in a town, and since there was no traffic the car had no reason to beep me.

During the pandemic we lived without cars, and I loved it. For a few weeks we could use roads for walks without worrying about the toxic people in their cars.

During the ride to the group event I was thinking about why my attitude towards toxic drivers is so aggressive. The answer is simple. Treating a pedestrian or a cyclist as a human being, with respect is simple, especially when there is no traffic. The more drivers treat pedestrians and cyclists with disrespect, the more we reflect it back.

You don’t need to swear. You don’t need to gesticulate. You don’t need to yell. If you pass by a pedestrian without respecting the one and a half metre rule, valid for the entirety of Europe, you are toxic. If you drive too fast and too close to a cyclist or pedestrian you are toxic.

cumulative Micro-Aggressions

As a pedestrian, and as a cyclist I suffer from several micro-aggressions a day. Being skimmed counts, a car accelerating aggresive counts, a car not slowing down when I approach a pedestrian crossing is a micro-aggression. A car deflecting by less than a meter to overtake is a micro-aggression. Add these up and a pleasant walk or bike ride becomes a toxic experience.

Bikes and Pedestrians Aren’t the Problem

When I drive to the shops, twice per week, if that, I get frustrated not by cyclists, or pedestrians, but by other people in cars, driving below the speed limit with no justifiable reason. There are no cars, there are no obstructions. There are no road works. There are no cyclists or pedestrians, or animals. These people are just slow without justification. That’s what tires me. That’s what I find frustrating. That’s one of the reasons I avoid driving, aside from petrol prices, and never-ending congestion.

The Busy Quiet Road

There is a road, that was once quiet. Due to road works to make cycling and walking more pleasant they have closed this road in one direction for four and a half months, and in the reverse direction for four and a half months. That’s a total of nine months of disruption. That’s nine months where a walking route is more dangerous for people on foot, people that have left their own cars at home.

Why This Matters

I enjoy cycling in general, and I enjoy group rides. I enjoy meeting the same people on a regular basis and I enjoy riding. Today’s ride involved riding into the wind from Nyon towards Grilly before heading back via the vineyards. We had to ride along a main road for part of the route. After that we went on secondary, quieter roads, and agricultural roads. After Grilly we switched from agricultural roads to viticultural roads.

In so far as possible we stayed away from busy roads, and we’re riding before rush hour. We are not adding to congestion. Despite this at least two cars overtook without obeying European Union rules. They skimmed us.

The Lure of Regular Buses to Replace Cars

Cyclists are often seen as a problem, especially in places like Calpe because they block certain roads and slow down traffic. The reality is that a camper slows down traffic, as does a truck. Traffic slows itself down.

Every morning I look out and I see that the A1 is blocked, often at a standstill. Every afternoon, when I walk near Porte de Nyon I see the Route De Crassier busy with cars, and the road from Nyon to the motorway blocked in both directions, by cars. Anyone that says that cyclists are the problem, aren’t paying attention. That congestion is cars. Cyclists might slow you down for a few seconds, but congestion by cars will slow you for minutes or even hours.

If buses were regular, then people could relax. They could read a book, stare into space and daydream. They could text, they could even play games. If they drive they’re on duty. When I replaced commuting by bus and train I felt liberated. Public transport gives you one to two hours of free time when you can procrastinate. Driving requires your full attention.

Buses Versus Cycling Infrastructure

In my eyes cycling infrastructure looks great on paper and on ballot papers but it doesn’t address the key issue. Nyon and surrounding villages have grown, both in terms of office space and in terms of accomodation. That growth in acommodation means more people and more cars. Add to this more office space and that adds more employees. The slow solution is to add cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.

When I go to “afterwork” meetups and other events almost everyone is surprised when I ssay I walk six kilometres round trip, rather than taking buses or the car. People going out for drinks take their cars. Imagine having this as a cultural norm.

Back to buses

The natural instinct is to think “we need buses for this bus line” but you don’t. For some routes having a mini-bus every 15 minutes, especially from various french towns and some villages would remove a lot of cars and traffic from the road. In theory a new bus route can be implemented within weeks, wheras changing road structure takes months, or even years. It makes sense to increase bus coverage, in tandem to building more office space and more housing. To build offices and houses, without thinking of public transport infrastructure was a mistake that we are currently paying for.

And Finally

The bike lane that I was beeped at for not using was blocked by a dog walker, where it is safe to mount. That’s why I didn’t use it. I’m not going to skim a dog given my history with aggressive dogs. The second reason I didn’t use it is that this is a portion of road where I am often at fourty kilometres per hour, so if I did not take the road, I’d risk the car refusing my priority when I wanted to rejoin it.

In the morning, in the opposite direction, a truck often stops on the cycle lane blocking it. In the direction I was using cars often park, while recycling. Buses also often block the cycle lane, and buses also carry passengers, which in turn affect flow.

Without micro-aggressions I would cycle every day.