Pay it Forward

Wow! It's been a long time since I last posted! Sorry about that; no excuses - I've just been busy.

So, here's my latest thing - you know I have a bit of a different view of the whole bicycle advocacy and "right-to-the-road" thing. Well, the more I think about this; especially while riding, the more it appears to be true:

The way a car reacts to your presence on the road as a cyclist is a direct result of the behavior of the last person on a bike they encountered.

Think about it. They have no reason to have anything against you usually; or to the contrary to feel favorably toward you and your bike. They're acting on the assumptions they formed about cyclists based on other cyclists they encountered before you. So my thing is to do my best to give the riders up the road from me the best possible chance of having a positive interaction with the cars that have passed me. That's right, it's pretty selfless and doesn't deliver a lot of instrant gratification. In fact, you may never get to benefit from the fruits of your labors. But, do something for somebody else every once in a while: stop at lights and stop signs; signal your turns; be predictable. The rider up the road from you might be me. (wait, that might influence you to do the opposite...) Well, at least you can count on me to assume that the rider up the road might be you...

Finally, sorry for the lack of posts.
Thanks for reading.