City-Riding Etiquette

Thailand Photos: Biking Bangkok

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Ever bike in Holland? If so, you've had the experience of pedaling what stateside riders would consider Shangri-La: a land where cars and bikes mix on terms of equal respect, where roads are designed for both modes of travel (even to the point, at certain intersections, of separate traffic lights) and where, amazingly, people are not divided into competing biker/driver camps. Because almost everyone spends time both in the saddle and behind the wheel, the very different difficulties in getting around by car and bike—especially in cities—are understood by all.

Imagine for a moment what it would mean to your two-wheeled commuting if behind every windshield sat a sometimes (in Holland a "most-times") cyclist. You wouldn't be viewed as an impediment to car travel. Laws wouldn't exist that, while purportedly for the benefit of bikers, are actually designed for four-wheeled traffic flow at the expense of bikers' safety. In short, we would all stand a much better chance of getting along.

You're thinking, "So what? This isn't Holland." What you're interested in is how to avoid getting mowed down at home, right? Well, don't think you're all alone on this. We're greatly outnumbered by the drivers in this country but we do exist . . . and in the thousands. There are steps each of us can and should take to make things better for biking generally and in cities specifically: Get educated and organized, and set a good example by sharing the road.