Cyclists vs Motorists

A road is a wide track with a hard surface for different vehicles to travel on. Everyone is expected to follow the rules of a road to ensure safety of all travelers. But sometimes a road can become a battle field by just one's minor mistake.

It all starts with a person doing a dangerous overtake, speeding, scratching another person's vehicle, making them fall over (in the case of 2 wheelers) etc. which results in a dispute including a fight, which may be violent, and a bad feeling for humanity.

But who is the safest and who is the weakest? Well, of course, a lighter vehicle means it's easier to push it. A two wheeler is lighter than other vehicles. It can be pushed as well as toppled over, and in severe cases, ran over. If motorcycles are heavier than scooters, which are heavier than bicycles, it seems that cyclists are in constant danger on the road. In this hierarchy of road danger, after cyclists come pedestrians, whether it be skaters, skateboarders, or just people walking. On top of the hierarchy, come trucks and buses. Cars are also safe. I mean, when we are travelling in a metal box a few tonnes in weight, of course we feel safer than others, don't we? But all motorists should not forget about cyclists.

There are many cities which have dedicated cycling lanes. But there are many others which don't have, and in those cities, cyclists feel unsafe. Many cyclists feel unsafe on such roads, where cars are everywhere, and there is a greater risk of accidents. So, some cyclists may lose their interest in riding and become a motorist, or "be a part of the crowd". This is a serious problem for the poor who cannot afford motor vehicles and are in danger due to cars. Hence, they feel cycling is only for the poor and cars are the mode of transport for the rich. I totally oppose this. To make sure that such stereotypes are broken, it's the duty of citizens to drive safely and respect each road user. Or else, everyone in those cities without cycle lanes will want to just become a motorist and reduce their chance of getting killed by drivers.

Another thing which happens is that some motorists can sometimes feel jealous of cyclists. They may see that cyclists can go through tight spaces, jump traffic signals and still not get fined. So, to show their anger, they will try to run over cyclists. They will show them what they can do with their vehicles. This is total nonsense. The two solutions are to either be a cyclist, or not get angry with cyclists. But many motorists totally oppose cyclists and say that they are the worst humans on earth. This also depends on their past experiences with cyclists. Let me get one thing clear, that not all cyclists are the same, nor all motorists are the same. You can have different experiences with each one. It's like saying that if a dog bites you, then all dogs will bite you, which is totally wrong.

I know that every city can't be like Amsterdam, or Copenhagen, where each driver knows how to drive with respect for cyclists. But the mentality of some anti-cyclist motorists can be changed. We just have to make laws a bit more strict, and increase cycling infrastructure. Everyone should have at least some experience being a cyclist. This way, they will know the hardships a cyclist has to face, and from next time onward, will drive with respect for cyclists.

The one reason that I can understand this fight between cyclists and motorists is because I myself am a cyclists, and many times have had close calls, and once I've also been fallen due to a motorist. Once, I was giving way to a motorist at an intersection, where a negligent driver pushed my bike with his bonnet from behind. It just hit my rear tire, nothing happened. I was totally OK, but the one thing which I hated the most about the driver wasn't that he hit me, but that he was on his phone. Your phone is the biggest distraction while driving. That man was so distracted, that he pulled over to forgive and stopped all the traffic behind him. I had to tell him to stop a few meters ahead and let the traffic flow! He was also on his phone when he was apologizing! This is the common sense of the common man. I told him to see where he is driving. Anything could have happened. I was lucky that it was not even a scratch on my tire that was the physical result of this incident. There's a lot more that's happened, but I'll leave my stories till here. The one rule of the road should be to drive/ride yourself, and let others drive/ride themselves.

Another reason that I understand the hardships of a cyclist are because I live in a country that has the highest number of road fatalities in the world. But, the deaths are high because the population is the second largest in the world. The population diversity and density is also very high. There are about 400 people per square kilometre here in India. Due to this, the death rate is not that high. It's around the 60th in the world, with the first and second being Libya and Thailand respectively. So,you should always compare large populations with rates, not actual numbers. I also live in a city which is very bike friendly. There's about 180 kms of cycling lanes in the total area of 114 square kms. Also, there are many cyclists here, but mostly recreational and fitness cyclists. Cars in the city get heavily fined for parking or driving on cycling lanes. There are also many cycling events every weekend*. The city is also situated just ahead of the foothills of the Himalayas. There's a beautiful lake where cyclists gather for events on weekends. It's a happy and very different city than other cities in India. Pollution levels are also far lesser than other cities, so there's mostly a blue sky. If you have not yet guessed the city I'm talking about, it's Chandigarh. That's almost the whole reason why I got into cycling, thanks to my city.

 But rest of India, I feel, is a bit more dangerous for cycling, especially other big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai etc. There, traffic means chaos. You have to find your own way out of the traffic. Cycling infrastructure is there, but cycling lanes turn into parking lanes, or extra driving lanes. The pollution also doesn't help there. As you may know, Delhi, especially during winter, is one of the most polluted cities in the world.

I am not talking only about the danger of Indian traffic, there are many other countries, as I mentioned earlier, which have the highest road fatality rates. The world is a dangerous place. Your own well-being is your own responsibility. One thing we can do as humans is to have respect for everyone else. So, my message for everyone reading this is to make roads safer for cyclists, pedestrians, as well as motorists. Have respect for everyone driving, riding or walking. Let's all live peacefully, and let others live peacefully.

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned!

 * All this info is pre-coronavirus based. Due to lockdown restrictions, there are very few cyclists cycling nowadays.