Today I was cycling my favourite route. I have two main routes through the city. My northern east-west route and my southern east-west route. I am partial to the northern route as it takes me through more quiet neighbourhoods.
Today on my ride I was passed, if not unsafely then a bit too close for comfort (and certainly by significantly less than the 1.5 metres specified in the highway code), by a van that proceeded to then pump the brakes not one second later to make a left turn which caused me to brake. Rather than wait the 3-5 seconds it would have taken me to move past the side street, they chose to make an unnecessary manoeuvre that saved them seconds. I wasn’t shaken, but I was annoyed by it. Knowing I’m the more vulnerable road user in the situation and that drivers often resent the presence of bikes on the road (I have been yelled at by drivers whilst cycling) tends to make me distrustful of drivers of motor vehicles.
Ten minutes later, I was making a turn across traffic on a small road and waiting for the line of cars to clear. A van stopped and waived me across. I waved my thanks and made my turn. Immediately, I was less annoyed. I was reminded that not everyone is rushing and that drivers do often respect cyclists and drive courteously.
These interactions highlighted that the value of small acts of acknowledging others who are also utilising public space to go about their lives shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s worth remembering that others are not in our way but rather travelling with similar aims to ourselves. We all want to arrive at our destination in a timely way, relaxed and, most importantly, safe.
Not everyone is going to want to or be able to move at the pace that we can and, sometimes, we are simply left having to travel at the pace of the slowest mover. This isn’t bad. Most times we are not running towards some emergency, and a few minutes here or there will make little difference, but how we treat others in our haste is worth considering.
Generally, I am someone who will walk decently fast when I have a destination to get to, and I do find myself frustrated by people moving slowly in front of me when there isn’t a clear path around them. But, a couple years ago I was recovering from surgery. On my daily walks, I was moving at a glacial pace. I didn’t have higher gear in me. I was newly experiencing being the slowest mover.
What I realised is that a lot of people regardless of age can’t necessarily move faster and even if they could, they’re not obligated to. My impatience is my responsibility. We live with and around others, particularly in cities. Ultimately, I believe we owe strangers some level of awareness, empathy and politeness. At least, that would be my preference when it comes to having to live with and around others.