Response to Susan G. Cole's Piece Drivers Are People Too

When I first launched this blog it was my intention to talk, not just about performance but a myriad of other topics of interest to me. So far, I've confined my writings to a commentary of the goings on on-stage, however today I'm taking a digression to talk about something else that's important to me; Cyclist Rights.

Cycling in Toronto sucks. It's one of the most dangerous and badly designed cities for cycling and our local politicians, despite repeated offers for change, have done virtually nothing to improve conditions. I wouldn't necessarily expect anything from them, as cyclists make up such a small group, when compared with drivers or transit users, that we yield little political power when it comes to deciding on governments.

However I would expect more from our local bastion of lefty politics NOW Magazine. Their recent bike issue had a bunch of cool stuff for those who favour two wheels over four, but there was one thorny little opinion piece, penned by NOW's Entertainment Editor Susan G. Cole that just about sent me over the edge. I decided to write a letter in response. Not sure how much if any they'll publish, but I thought I'd give you all a sneak peak.


Dear NOW Editors,

I read with mild amusement Susan G. Cole's musings on how cyclists can be better citizens. I understand she was trying to be all "counter-counter-culture", however she just came off sounding like an idiot. While I understand that cyclists can occasionally be assholes, I think it would have been a far better use of space to look at the reasons behind this. While every single street in the city has space for drivers, and almost all have space for pedestrians, virtually none have a space for cyclists. In addition, the so-called bike lanes we have, consist only of a painted line on the road, as opposed to a proper concrete barrier. The majority of drivers see nothing wrong with parking or driving in bike lanes and the city doesn't put much effort into cleaning or clearing them of debris. You can bet if drivers had to constantly deal with other vehicles parked in the middle of the road, sharp objects large enough to rupture their tires, and transit tracks and hole large enough, to physically eject them from their vehicles, there'd be an upswing in road rage.

The second thing that Cole doesn't even bother to acknowledge (and maybe she hasn't had time to notice since she's so busy driving her young children, large objects, and elderly parents around) is that there's a fundamental difference that separates the vast majority of drivers from cyclists. While many cyclists, myself included, will extol the virtues of cycling, from saving the environment to slimming our waistlines, most of us who ride do so because we can't afford a car. Or the TTC.

Taking an already impoverished group, and then telling them over and over that their form of transportation, and indeed their personal safety, is of no value to society is deeply connected to the "attitude" that some cyclists display. I don't know if Cole has ever felt marginalized before, but if she has she'll know that when one group of people is consistently given these messages by society, it can lead to acting out.

If Cole is interested in continuing to write pieces in which she talks down to others less fortunate from her position of privilege perhaps she can compose a piece for the next issue about how there’d be less racism if black people were just nicer.