Thank you for this, Andrew. Just by listening to this, I can tell that I would have benefited from taking a class like this. Even better: It makes me want to investigate the possibility of getting a class like this offered in Wichita. I also liked the other commentary about how those cyclists not obeying traffic laws make obtaining general acceptance harder for those of us who do.
I’ll be linking to this; I hope some folks find their way here.
One of the things that I struggle with is getting people like Andy to take the course. We had a full class on Saturday and only one person who had hardly ridden at all.
Getting men who have experience riding to take the course is really difficult. Our classes are almost all middle aged women who have never ridden a bicycle on the road before.
We call our course, “confident city cycling” which I am starting to like less and less. Most people on the road are “confident” but they are not competent and convincing them to take a course like this would be ideal.
I’ve got a good story involving the very thing that I am talking about.
First, let me set the scene.
West Broadway is a 4 lane arterial in Columbia with 9′ 6″ lanes. The area where this incidence occured is also a school zone with a posted 20 mph speed limit.
One of my old instructors was riding down west broadway and taking the lane. Someone came up from behind him and honked repeatedly. At the stop light the person rolled down their window and started shouting, “you need to learn how to share the road….ask PEDNET!”
My instructor just looked at him and said, “arent you Fred Parry?” Fred Parry is a local quasi celebrity who owns a publishing company and at the time was co-host of a popular talk radio show in Columbia.
Of course after arriving at the station the host took the opportunity to discuss his altercation with a bicyclist who did not know how to ride in traffic and was messing everything up.
I talked to Fred off air and arranged for me to go on the air with him and discuss this incident and to discuss “taking the lane.”
Fred was SHOCKED to learn that those lanes were 9’6″ wide and he assured me that they were 16′ wide at the minimum.
On the air Fred admitted that the lanes were too narrow but stated that he had been passing bicycles inside those lanes for 10 years. He then blamed me as the “education coordinator” for someone like him not knowing that bicyclists could and should control the lane.
I told him that I had asked him to take Confident City Cycling many times and he had never done it. I then told him that he probably figured he had nothing to learn since he did bicycle on occasion.
It turned out to be a great piece of radio that about 14,000 Columbia residents heard. Its been one of the most worthwhile things that has happened here.
Fred said he would NEVER pass another bicyclist inside those lanes, admitted that he was speeding in the first place and was overall very supportive at the end of the interview.
I have been out of pocket and living car-free for a few days since the transmission went out on my old van. Haven’t had access to Wi-Fi.Anyway, the thing that shocked me about the interview was that David Hutichison sounded just like he always does, but that other guy … I don’t know who he was, but he was saying the words I thought I said???
Comments 8
Thank you for this, Andrew. Just by listening to this, I can tell that I would have benefited from taking a class like this. Even better: It makes me want to investigate the possibility of getting a class like this offered in Wichita. I also liked the other commentary about how those cyclists not obeying traffic laws make obtaining general acceptance harder for those of us who do.
I’ll be linking to this; I hope some folks find their way here.
Posted 06 Apr 2009 at 5:36 am ¶One of the things that I struggle with is getting people like Andy to take the course. We had a full class on Saturday and only one person who had hardly ridden at all.
Getting men who have experience riding to take the course is really difficult. Our classes are almost all middle aged women who have never ridden a bicycle on the road before.
We call our course, “confident city cycling” which I am starting to like less and less. Most people on the road are “confident” but they are not competent and convincing them to take a course like this would be ideal.
Posted 06 Apr 2009 at 11:02 am ¶Yes, I am saying that men are typically more likely to assume that they are already an expert on any given topic! : )
Posted 06 Apr 2009 at 11:10 am ¶John… Thanks for the mention!
Robert… Being a teacher sometimes saves me from thinking I already know it all
Posted 06 Apr 2009 at 3:52 pm ¶I’ve got a good story involving the very thing that I am talking about.
First, let me set the scene.
West Broadway is a 4 lane arterial in Columbia with 9′ 6″ lanes. The area where this incidence occured is also a school zone with a posted 20 mph speed limit.
One of my old instructors was riding down west broadway and taking the lane. Someone came up from behind him and honked repeatedly. At the stop light the person rolled down their window and started shouting, “you need to learn how to share the road….ask PEDNET!”
My instructor just looked at him and said, “arent you Fred Parry?” Fred Parry is a local quasi celebrity who owns a publishing company and at the time was co-host of a popular talk radio show in Columbia.
Of course after arriving at the station the host took the opportunity to discuss his altercation with a bicyclist who did not know how to ride in traffic and was messing everything up.
I talked to Fred off air and arranged for me to go on the air with him and discuss this incident and to discuss “taking the lane.”
Fred was SHOCKED to learn that those lanes were 9’6″ wide and he assured me that they were 16′ wide at the minimum.
On the air Fred admitted that the lanes were too narrow but stated that he had been passing bicycles inside those lanes for 10 years. He then blamed me as the “education coordinator” for someone like him not knowing that bicyclists could and should control the lane.
I told him that I had asked him to take Confident City Cycling many times and he had never done it. I then told him that he probably figured he had nothing to learn since he did bicycle on occasion.
It turned out to be a great piece of radio that about 14,000 Columbia residents heard. Its been one of the most worthwhile things that has happened here.
I hope that story made sense.
Posted 07 Apr 2009 at 8:54 am ¶I dont think I made this clear enough.
Fred said he would NEVER pass another bicyclist inside those lanes, admitted that he was speeding in the first place and was overall very supportive at the end of the interview.
Posted 07 Apr 2009 at 9:00 am ¶Robert… Cool story. Can you get your hands on a recording of that show?
Posted 07 Apr 2009 at 9:43 am ¶I have been out of pocket and living car-free for a few days since the transmission went out on my old van. Haven’t had access to Wi-Fi.Anyway, the thing that shocked me about the interview was that David Hutichison sounded just like he always does, but that other guy … I don’t know who he was, but he was saying the words I thought I said???
Posted 17 Apr 2009 at 11:57 am ¶