#6 – You Ran a Red Light on your Bike (among other things)

For those that have followed my other blog it will come to no surprise to you that I am about to bitch about cyclists in the city of Toronto. 

But first, let me paint the picture.  I’m driving down Danforth Ave, which for those that don’t know is a very busy street, especially during peak hours.  And I get cut-off by a cyclist, and not only was he not wearing a helmet, but his toddler in the seat attachment behind him wasn’t either.  And then he proceeded to ride right through the red light without even the slightest hesitation.

Okay.  So, straight up, I know that the majority of cyclists are NOT like this guy.  I am by no means painting the entire cyclist population with one brush.  But as the saying goes, the rotten apple spoils the bunch.  I just can’t even begin to explain how much stuff like this just absolutely makes my blood boil.  I have never, probably will never, cycle in the city.  The main reason is because it just looks really dangerous.  There are so many factors going on and situations that change, and you have absolutely no protection outside of a helmet and pads that you may or may not choose to wear.  The fact that you get fined for not wearing a helmet up to a certain age says something, no?  And I really don’t understand why they stop fining people after a certain age.  It’s not as if you become any less vulnerable (hell, let’s be honest – old people break easier).

But back to this massive prick that decided that not only was his head invincible, but his toddler’s was as well.  You can be the absolute best cyclist in the world, but if a car comes out of nowhere and hits you – it won’t matter.  Is that likely to happy?  It’s probably pretty rare… unless, of course, you’re the kind of asshole that likes to ride through red lights because you simply can’t be bothered to lose your speed.  And now this kid thinks that their parent’s behavior is absolutely acceptable, as do any other kids watching. 

I’ve bitched a lot about bikes in the city, and I stand by my simple solution – make cycling a privilege, not a right – just like driving.  The fact that you’re operating a vehicle on a road way says something.  But a cyclist doesn’t have to display any knowledge of road safety to be able to ride on a bike; all they really need to do is have a bike.  At the very least this should be implemented on any road, street, etc… where there are more than one lane per direction.  If you’re driving amongst regular traffic you should display that you have the knowledge that comes with it.  Young cyclists should be constricted to single lane streets.  That’s just how I see it.

I promise that I don’t have a hate on for cyclists.  I’m a big fan of any method of transportation that limits the amount of cars we need.  I only use the car in the morning to drop my son off at daycare and then I take the car to my wife’s school and then I hop on public transit for the rest of the day.  But the simple matter is that there comes a danger with certain modes of transportation, and kids learn by example.  So to the dude I saw on Danforth Avenue – I could care less if you get in an accident, crack your head open and become a vegetable for the rest of your life – you’ve made bad choices and I believe in consequences – but what I do care about is that little kid on the back of your bike, the one who can’t put their own helmet on, who doesn’t know enough to ask her Daddy to please, pretty please, with sugar on top, stop at the fucking red light.