letter to the editor

My nascent career as a writer has taken a tiny step forward...I am now published in the editorial section of one of Santa Cruz's weekly rags.

Here's the backstory:

Two weeks ago a local bicycle commuter wrote a letter to the editor about the rude treatment she has been receiving lately from car drivers while riding in Santa Cruz. The voice of her article was very passive. Everything happened "to her." I thought that she took no responsibility for her own actions on the road. Reading her letter to the editor got me really fired up, and I quickly drafted a response to it. I came home that night and asked Adria to proofread my response. She made some suggestions on how to soften it.

"It's a little aggressive," she said. And she gave a couple of ideas on how to soften it up.

"Pretend you're talking to your daughter about how to ride bikes," she suggested.

"I like the points you are making, but I think you might turn some readers off," she finished with.

I liked her advice so I smoothed out the rough draft the following day at work and emailed the final draft to the editors of the Santa Cruz Weekly the following day.

Today after work, I grabbed this week's edition and opened to the editorial page. Shazam! My letter was published! Along with two other responses. After reading all three responses in order, I noticed an interesting trend. The first response was short, emotional, and derisive - basically accusing the person who wrote the letter of inflaming an already tense situation between bicyclists and drivers. The third response went the opposite direction. It actually quoted laws from the DMV handbook! Absolutely no emotion. Strictly facts. My response was sandwiched between the other two response on pages 4 & 5. I think that's no accident - I think that the editors saw the reason in my writing - a blend of facts and experience and emotion.

I have included the links to the articles as well as the actual articles themselves, in case the links get broken.

Here's the link to my response, as well as the other two responses: http://www.metrosantacruz.com/metro-santa-cruz/10.07.09/letters-0940.html

Here's the link to the original letter that prompted the responses (scroll to "Note to Drivers"): http://www.metrosantacruz.com/metro-santa-cruz/09.30.09/letters-0939.html

Here's the original article:

Note to Drivers

AS A cyclist, I willingly take on the task of trying to anticipate each car driver's every move. After being hit by cars and having innumerable close calls with car doors, I have learned that I must be obsessively vigilant about my own safety, seeing as how car drivers seem very unaware of my presence on the road. Cyclists are given, at best, about three feet of the road to occupy and this space should be their safety corridor.

I am writing you because I am tired of car drivers' hideous sense of entitlement to all paved surfaces and would like people on the road to hear that cyclists deserve some respect. Today, after barely missing the swing of a few car doors, enduring a steady onslaught of cat-calls, and being cut off by car drivers occupying the bike lane to make right turns or to merge into traffic from driveways or parking lots, I reached the last straw when someone in a white truck hurled their collection of garbage at me. Luckily, the bag of garbage only hit my body and did not knock me off my bike or get stuck in one of my wheels. The fact that this act was degrading is not as upsetting as the fact that it was very dangerous. Throwing things at cyclists can seriously injure them, seeing as how we are in motion and very vulnerable to crashing into the pavement. I honestly believe that getting on my bike should not feel like I am taking my life and dignity into my own hands. I understand that transporting bodies at high speeds is risky, but wouldn't be nice if collective safety and respect for life was everyone's main focus when on the road? To achieve this we'd have to share the road space, communicate, look, slow down and recognize that everyone in traffic probably has an important place to go and would like to arrive there safely. As far as hurling objects and obscene comments at cyclists, there is simply no room for such things at all.

And here's my response:

Feeling Your Pain

As a cyclist who logs many miles commuting with car traffic in Santa Cruz, I have felt your pain about feeling "invisible" when sharing the road with cars.

I would like to share with you a few things I have learned in the last few years of regular bike commuting. As I wrote them down, I realized that they all have to do with confidence. I found that when my confidence on my bike increased, so did the level of respect I got from drivers. Hopefully, these tips will help you, as well.

First, take the lane. Are you hugging the far right-hand side of the lane (if there's no bike lane)? If your complaint is that cars don't "see" you, then take the next step to make yourself seen. For example, when there's no bike lane and you're forced to mix it up with traffic, there's one correct way to do it - take the lane. Taking the lane means riding in at least the right third of the lane. An easy rule of thumb is to ride in the right tire track where cars normally drive. By taking the right third of the lane, you have eliminated the driver's temptation to try to "squeeze" by you, which is how many accidents happen. They have no choice but to slow down and move out of the lane to pass you.

Second, create movement. Drivers notice things that move. As you're approaching an intersection with the right of way, keep pedaling all the way through the intersection. Your spinning legs and reflectors will get drivers' attention. Even if you are going downhill and don't need the speed, keep soft-pedalling to create movement. Besides getting a driver's attention, your pedalling tells him "I'm confident and I'm coming through."

Third, make eye contact. When I ride in traffic I keep my head up and I don't wear sunglasses. At intersections, I look around (especially at the car behind me), and make eye contact with the drivers. There's a connection when humans make eye contact. Add a smile or a nod, and you're guaranteed to get more respect (i.e. space) when the light turns green.

I appreciate your experience, and know the feeling of disrespect that your story conveys. Try these three things next time you're riding in traffic and you'll see that as your confidence increases, you get the respect you are seeking from drivers.

Clayton Ryon, Felton