Bicycle bullies
- There are too
many of them in this city, and most of them are men in their thirties and
forties.
- They travel
as fast as cars do in the middle of the city, but ignore traffic lights and do just
as they please. They are traffic hazards. You never know where you have them.
- They are
supposed to get off their bikes and walk them across the pedestrian crosswalks;
this almost never happens.
- They travel
too fast on footpaths that are designed for both pedestrians and cyclists. They
act annoyed when you don’t move out of their way fast enough.
- That there
haven’t been more serious accidents in Oslo involving them and pedestrians
surprises me.
- Apropos my
last post about the baby hedgehog; I’m sure the majority of the bicycle bullies
would just drive right over one in their path, crush it and move on. Perhaps
that’s mean of me to say, but I don’t get the impression that these people care
too much about anyone or anything except themselves, and about getting to where
they’re going as fast as possible, obstacles be damned.
- The most
stupid thing I’ve seen so far is those of them who are steering the bike with
one hand and talking on a cell phone with the other. Honestly, what is so
important that you need the dangerous distraction of a cell phone? Who do you
think you’re impressing? And if it’s really a serious matter, pull over to the
roadside, stop and take the call.
- They act as
though they are competing in the Tour de France, and they dress accordingly.
- In
Amsterdam--bicycle city deluxe--the bicyclists know how to behave in traffic
and don’t all look as though they are Tour de France competitors. They dress in
ordinary clothing and are far more relaxed. The same is true for another bicycle
city—Copenhagen. Why does Oslo have to stand out in this way? It impresses no
one.
- Isn’t it
possible to bike anymore without having to ‘dress the part’ from head to toe?
- Isn’t it
possible to enjoy being out in nature, to stop along the way and admire a lake
or a flower, without having to speed your way through all that is beautiful
around you?
- Get over
yourselves. The rest of us are not impressed.
