Why Do People Hate Safety? Or, How I Got Heckled on Friday Night

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 Recently, I've been asking myself the question in this post's title. Why do people hate safety? What is so offensive about trying to be safe and not die a bloody, mangled mess? Perhaps I should explain what I'm talking about.

Photo on the right is what happens when you hate safety.

For the past couple months, my girlfriend and I have been volunteering for the Safe Streets Collaborative, a partnership between Local Motion and the Burlington Police Department, as well as other community members and organizations. The point of the collaborative is just like it sounds — to make streets safer for everyone using them. Sounds pretty inoffensive to me. Again, I ask who doesn't like safety.

Our volunteering has taken the form of "intersection intervention," or, as I call it, Bike Light Recon. Basically, that means that we and other bike nerds stand on busy corners at night and flag down cyclists who do not have lights on their bikes. In Burlington, it is required that people have a flashing white light on the front of their bike and at least a reflector in the back. Most people don't know this is a city statute, thus the point of the Bike Light Recon. It's all about Ed-U-Cation.

Also the point of Bike Light Recon: making the streets safer for cars, pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchairs, old people, people who are infirm, dogs, squirrels, etc. But apparently that is offensive to people. I'll explain.

Here's the gist of Bike Light Recon: two or three volunteers per corner are partnered with one of Burlington's finest. Cops are wearing their police outfits; volunteers are wearing helmets and safety vests. Yes, safety vests. No, they're not high fashion — mine was a little snug, I'll admit —  but they help prevent cars from making pizza out of my innards.

 
This is not very safe.

When we see a cyclist cruising along without the required lights, the volunteers flag them down, ask if we can talk to them for a sec, tell them about the city laws regarding bike lights and give them a coupon to get a bike light at any of the bike shops in town. Then the cop comes over and puts the fear of Jesus in the offending cyclist by telling him or her that he could give a $50 ticket for the offense, but he won't because he's a nice dude.

In less than three minutes, the cyclist is on her way with a coupon in her pocket and a better understanding of the rules of the road. By and large, the people we flagged at the corner of N. Winooski and Pearl streets were respectful and attentive. Some were chronic inebriates who should really never operate anything with moving parts. Others were "in a hurry," which is code for "I don't give a flying pig shit what you want to talk to me about. I've got a very important appointment to get my drink on at Esox and you're preventing me from accomplishing my mission."

The couple times we've done this, we've gotten heckled. We've been called a bike gang because of our vests (Whatever. Safety first.), and we've had people make fun of our helmets and tell us to "be safe," their voices dripping with sarcasm. Yeah, I am safe, thanks. You never know when you might just fall over on the sidewalk. A helmet could save your life.

Christ, it's not like we're Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons or Scientologists. We're not trying to eat their babies or make them renounce their families or whatever. What I don't get is why people feel the need to say anything. One guy said helmets were dumb. Another said we were instituting "martial law" because we were trying to get people to not get hit by cars on their bikes. I'll tell you what, pal, how's about I buy you a plane ticket to, say, Guinea or Libya or Pakistan or another country run by the military and see if you still feel that getting people to use bike lights is tantamount to martial law.

I get that we look silly, but so do men with eyebrow rings, and you don't hear me crapping on them. So what's the deal? Is it the idea that people who don't wear helmets or use lights on their bikes feel threatened by those of us who do, as if our rule-following and desire to be safe is somehow a tacit indictment of their behavior?

It's like why so many people hate vegetarians, because they feel that their shunning of meat is a condemnation of people who do eat meat. Same thing with teetotalers. I can speak to both of those because I neither eat meat nor drink. But frankly, I could not care less if you drink yourself to a liver transplant or end up with arteries clogged with bologna. 

So what are your theories on why people hate safety, apart from the fact that they must have tiny hoo-hoo dillies? Do you hate safety, or people trying to encourage you to be more safe? If so, why? Were you the ones heckling us on Friday night? Do you want me to have to get feral on your ass next time? Just asking. 

Comments

[ScofflawsRUs]

Hey, Ober: nevermind bike lights, did you also flag down the a-hole bikers who don't think that STOP signs apply to them? I can't drive back and forth to work on Burlington streets on any given day without seeing several bikers who absolutely REFUSE to stop at intersections. They're supposed to follow the same rules of the road as cars, right? That means STOPPING at STOP SIGNS.

[silly driver, roads are for people]

do car drivers realize how bizarre they sound complaining about bikes and pedestrians? car drivers are the biggest freeloaders we've got. and the bigger the rig, the bigger the welfare case. Y'see, studies show that a bulk of our roads are paid for by property taxes. so the property-owning cyclist or pedestrian pays the same as the monster SUV driver, yet it's these cars that do all the damage to the roads (and to the cyclists and walkers, by the way).

I can't bike back and forth to work on Burlington streets on any given day without being honked and screamed at by lard asses in fat cars... only I can't understand what most are screaming because they're usually eating and/or blabbing on their phones... risking my life. pathetic

Hang up the phone, put away your junk food, and try saying thanks to the people who are adding one less car to our streets... and, by the way, paying for the road you're crunching under the one-ton pollution-spewing box you're so proud of.

[Bdorphmann]

Silly, you are kidding right? I am not defending cars but on top of the property taxes the owners pay they also pay registration fees. Along with the fees they pay fuel tax which goes into the transportation fund that builds the roads you ride your bike on.
I only hope that you are not one of those bike riders who feel they always have the right of way. Obey the rules of the road.
Now take a chill pill and share the road and stop being so high and mighty, you are giving bikers including me a bad name.

[One_Vermonter]

Lauren, It sounds like you need a drink. - OV

[David]

Well, Silly is a good moniker for that post.
Sure, everyone has a right to road. But everyone also has the responsibility to share the road. That means, in part, obeying the same rules of the road.
You sound like one of those teetotalers or vegetarians that Lauren wrote about...

[Jimmy]

Why doesn't the cop flag people down if he/she's standing there anyway? I have to stop for a cop, I don't have to stop for some random person because they're wearing a helmet and a vest.

[John]

Lauren,

It's because people generally don't like being told what to do, even if it's good for them. If you make a thoughtless mistake while driving your car and some stranger calls you on it, there's a natural instinct to reply with a retort. The effect can be magnified when you're riding a bike, as your senses are heightened and you feel less protected. I support what you're doing though and encourage this project to continue. Just don't expect each encounter to be sunshine and marshmallows.

Regarding the comments above:

Scofflawsrus and Sillydrivers: There are bicyclists and automobile drivers in this city who regularly break the law and it bugs me too. I believe education and enforcement should be increased on both accounts.

Bdorphmann: The people that ride their bicycle usually own a automobile too. So, the only additional tax paid by those who choose to drive instead of bicycle is the gas tax.

Some points to make:

The state tax (.19/gal) collected on gas in Vermont doesn't even cover the cost of environmental remediation of petroleum contamination in this state.

No road pays for itself with fuel taxes and auto fees:
http://www.txdot.gov/KeepTexasMovingNewsletter/11202006.html#Cost (Vermont gasoline taxes are shared similarly)

And to quote a friend of mine:

"For motorists to pay the full cost of both the vast acreages of asphalt provided for them, and ancillary costs such as police patrol emergency response, watershed restoration, pollution damage, and so forth, fuel would have to be taxed at a rate of about US$6 to US$8 per gallon (3.8 litres)--as it is in progressive European cities.

Who makes up the shortfall? Why, people--such as cyclists!--who drive less or don't drive at all."

So, in most instances, those who aren't driving are getting less than they're paying for.

Cheers,
John

[Molly]

The Safe Streets Collaborative has been and will continue to be more active in response to public concern. When the Burlington Police conducted their community survey last year, one of the items of concern cited by community members was "dangerous bicycle operation".

I am as baffled as you, Lauren, as to why so many cyclists put their lives at risk by consistently ignoring traffic laws. I can't count the number of times I've nearly hit bikers who run stop signs, red lights, and/or have no lights after dark. Are they all megalomaniacs like Silly or do they truly not realize that they're doing something passively suicidal (and illegal)?

P.S. In an attempt to preempt troll attacks: I'm not a "lard ass", I'm 5'5" and 120lbs; I never talk on a cell phone while driving; I drive a small, fuel efficient sedan; I'm very considerate to cyclists and have never, ever screamed at one; I think bikes are great and hope that more civic planning is devoted to making them part of U.S. cities' transportation designs; I have to drive instead of bike because of my health.

[Lauren Ober]

Jimmy,

The reason why the police approach pedestrians AFTER the citizen volunteers is because it makes the process seem less confrontational and antagonistic. Yes, people have to listen to the cops, but would you prefer to listen to a peer or an authority figure who for whom you probably already have some built-in disdain.

Also, none of the volunteers were telling people to wear helmets. The volunteers purpose was only to inform people of the LAW, and to give them coupons to help them adhere to the law.

[Jimmy]

"Also, none of the volunteers were telling people to wear helmets."

?? I didn't say they were.

It's not that I don't have to listen to you, it's that I don't have to stop for you. In fact I'm not sure why anyone would stop just because a stranger (who's not in distress) tells them to.

[Lauren Ober]

Jimmy,

It's more that we were asking politely if we could talk to people for a second and explain the law to them so the officer behind us wouldn't give them a ticket. If they took off without listening, more than likely, the cop would catch up to them and give them a ticket for not obeying traffic laws. It pays to be courteous and also to comply with people who are approaching you respectfully. But if you want a ticket, dude, feel free to ignore the volunteers.

[Jimmy]

Somehow I doubt a cop is going to give chase because I cruised past a civilian with a goofy vest on.

[Jay Vos]

I had to do research about what the graphic arrows and bikes goin' up Pine Street are. Well, y'all they are called "sharrows," which mean share the road. I share the road always, but honestly, why are there not signs along Pine to tell motorists what they are (use the sharrow graphic with "Share the Road" would be my idea). Also, why on Pine??? It's a heavily trafficked road with lots of trucks. Also the bicyclists don't share the road...they pedal up the middle of the northbound lane and don't move to the right to let cars pass. I've seen it more than once.

Another thing: On Saturday, at the intersection of S. Winooski and Main, there was congestion while waiting for the light to change. I was stopped in the right-turn lane and surprise! a bicyclist appeared to my left, goin' like a bat out of hell and veered in front of me just as the light was changing to green. Scared the shit out of me, as he was going so fast! I made my turn and he went down the middle of Main - through the red light as he made a left turn onto (lower) Church Street, nearly hitting pedestrians who were walking across Main. Without a helmet, too.

[Lauren Ober]

Jimmy, the cop is going to give chase because you (or the cyclist without lights) were breaking the law, not because you were a rude to a volunteer. They're getting serious about traffic enforcement as it pertains to cyclists. If you don't believe me, talk to Lt. Bill Ward at BPD.

[jbgoode]

Hey Jay Vos: I think the sharrows are on Pine because in order to go North/South in that part of town it's basically either Pine or Shelburne Road, which is an even more heavily trafficked road with even more trucks.

[ML]

I love how whenever bicycle/car issues arise, you hear all these "one time, a bicyclist ran the red light and I almost hit him" stories. I have so many "one time, a driver ran the red light and almost hit my kid and the crossing guard" stories.

It's simple: bicyclists and drivers need to respect the rules of the road. Don't be stupid or reckless.

[Justa Thought]

Why bother with the volunteers or worry about making it less confrontational? Cops should just stop bicyclists and ticket them... randomly. You know, DO THEIR JOB. I guarantee that would cut down on scofflaw bicyclists. Duh.