society.
(Return
to Top)The
Social and Emotional Aspects of Transportation Cycling
by Bruce A. Mol (c) 2002
Contents:
Part 1: The social aspects of transportation cycling – the personal and social responsibilities.
Diagram illustrating the relationship between the development of cycling skills and the consideration of social responsibilities
Four Types of Transportation Cyclists and how they respond to training
Part 2: The emotional aspects of transportation cycling
Diagram illustrating three emotional contexts and presumptions about motorist behaviours
Diagram illustrating the inter-actionist context for transportation cyclists
Road rage, traffic fatalities and injuries, rude behaviour, traffic congestion,
smog and other health concerns. How are people coping with riding their bikes to
work, school and other facilities?
As a nationally certified cycling instructor I have met a lot of people who have incorporated transportation cycling into their lives. I have witnessed a broad scale of ability and discussed a myriad of motivations about why to cycle. Overall I am impressed by people’s reasons to ride and their willingness to sign up for skills courses. However, I have found that many transportation cyclists are unaware of the social and emotional aspects of cycling.
The
social aspects of transportation cycling include personal and societal
responsibilities. The personal responsibilities are the physical requirements
needed to ensure the safety of self and society. The societal responsibilities
include communication, courtesy and contribution.
The emotional aspects of transportation cycling include the context or presumptions under which cyclists engage with traffic and development of emotions and concern for self and society, to cope with traffic.
Together, the development of a cyclists social and emotional understanding of traffic leads to an eloquent cycling style that clearly communicates with other road users and is, by itself, a persuasive argument for the need and benefits of integrating cycling into societal norms of acceptable transportation.
Part 1: The social aspects of transportation cycling – the personal and social responsibilities. (Return to Top)
The
personal responsibilities of transportation cycling are the physical
requirements needed to ensure personal safety. Being able to brake, turn and
manoeuvre in traffic is of utmost importance to cyclists. Though this may seem
obvious, most cyclists do not review courses or books designed to develop their
traffic or bicycle handling skills. Neither do they practice the two most
important safety measures in a cyclist’s repertoire, emergency braking and
obstacle avoidance.
Personal
responsibilities become a social issue when a cyclist demonstrates poor skills
or little regard for their own safety. Inept displays of cycling confuse and
irritate other road users and it is reasonable to assume that a person who puts
their own life in danger will likely put other lives in danger. Cyclists who
acknowledge they have social responsibilities work on the physical skills needed
to share the road.
The
societal responsibilities of transportation cyclists include communication,
courtesy and contribution. Cyclists need to develop their communication skills
beyond the hand signal. Often cyclists cannot take their hands off the
handlebars because they need to steer or brake. Another method of communication
is needed to augment or replace the hand signal when the situation warrants. The
eloquent cyclist works with time and space, road position, body position and the
environment to move predictably with traffic.
Cyclists constantly balance their own safety and courtesy for others. Courtesy is the medium through which road users share facilities. Courtesy is the ability to pay attention to the needs of others, allowing yielding and merges, while following traffic laws and conventions. Although both Communication and Courtesy assist in the societal acceptance of cycling, cyclists can do more to accelerate mass understanding of cyclists needs.
Third and last of the social aspects of transportation cycling is Contribution. Contributing to the development of society is the least realised responsibility because of the perception that great amounts of time and dedication are required. But if a cyclist does not have time for the more overt forms of societal development, they can demonstrate support for cycling by modelling behaviour that other road users can understand and appreciate. Cycling well is cycling advocacy.
More overt forms of demonstrating support for cycling are important because cycling advocates do not own, or have access to, the mass media. Cyclists are perceived as they are portrayed in the media and the mass media only picks up on controversial events. Participating in a wide range of advocacy events broadens the public perception of cyclists and cycling.
Contributing
to the development of society may mean, at its most vociferous, belonging to a
cycling advocacy group that organises mass demonstrations. Individual
conversations are also important to cycling advocacy and education. Creating
forums for dialogue, whether formally at meetings or informally over meals
benefits all of society. Cycling newsletters and magazines, as well as their
wide distribution, are another important part of advocacy. Well-written print
media allows people to inform and educate themselves and it also allows the
public to debate the truth-value of cycling advocacy. Finally, producing and
attending courses, workshops and symposia form the subset of advocacy called
education that creates accelerated understanding and change in
society.
(Return
to Top)
The diagram illustrates that education is subset of advocacy. Social change occurs over time with advocacy campaign efforts. Education programs can promote social change but advocacy can exist without education. The task of education and educators is to intentionally address the concerns of advocacy and produce programs that speed social change. Many transportation cyclists seek out and benefit from educational programs and information. However, because cyclists vary in skill level and in degree of consideration of their social responsibility, existing cycling education programs do not suit all bicycle users.
The next diagram illustrates the relationship between the development of cycling skills and the consideration of social responsibilities that result in four types of transportation cyclists.
 |
(Return
to Top) |
Four
Types of Transportation Cyclists and how they respond to training: (Return
to Top)
1.
Vigilant cyclists have undeveloped physical skills and an appreciation for the
social responsibilities of cycling. They
are motivated to develop their skills and social responsibilities by taking
courses, reading and riding with others.
2.
Veloquent cyclists have both the physical skills and a high regard for the
social responsibilities of cycling in traffic. They are motivated to develop
their own skills and social responsibilities as well as help develop other
cyclists, and society at large, through cycling advocacy, courses, reading and
riding with others.
3. Vagabond cyclists have neither the skills nor understanding of social responsibilities when on a bicycle. Most are reluctant users of bicycles. Where mental illness is not a problem, vagabond cyclists may develop the physical skills and a social conscience to ride appropriately in traffic but their ability to obtain regular food, clothing, shelter as well as meaningful employment must first be addressed.
4. The least predictable of the four types of transportation cyclist is the volatile cyclists. Volatile cyclists are physically skilled individuals who are either unaware or uncaring of the social responsibilities of cycling. Unaware volatile cyclists do not participate in cycling courses because feel there is nothing more to learn about cycling. Training programs should expose the unaware volatile cyclists to personal and social development rather than skill development. The self-development of this cyclist will, most likely, come with time (age) and experience (trial and error).
Uncaring
volatile cyclists are both skilled and anti-social. Their careless application
of social responsibilities may be due to sub-cultural affiliations that
repudiate the social norms of cycling. Development of the uncaring volatile
cyclists would be challenging and is not within the realm of current cycling
education programs.
The social aspects of transportation cycling can be achieved with patience and practice. When cyclists develop themselves and take the time to communicate with other road users, when they are courteous and safety minded, and when they contribute to the development of society, their cycling becomes an eloquent model for all road users to follow.
Transportation cyclists realise that the difference between a good day cycling and a bad day is their emotional reaction to traffic. Along with the physical skill development, cyclists need to develop attitudes that safeguard their emotions and help them cope with traffic.
The emotional experiences of a cyclist are wrought on the many close encounters in a season of cycling. Cyclists who can use their experiences to develop a comprehensive emotional context for cycling become better cyclists, cycle more often and cycle throughout their life. Cyclists who cannot safeguard their emotions become bitter with the riding experience, frustrated with other road users and stop riding their bike when they can no longer justify the emotional effort required for transportation cycling.
The
ability to safeguard emotions and learn to cope with traffic is based on a
variety of presumptions or emotional contexts for transportation cycling. In
fact, the inability to develop coping skills is often due to inflexible
emotional contexts for cycling. Becoming an emotionally proficient cyclist
requires flexibility of thought and the ability to reflect on changes within
oneself, society and where those two entities meet, traffic.
Vigilant
and Veloquent cyclists reflect on their emotions and develop methods to cope
with the stressors of interacting with motorists. Though every transportation
cyclist has his or her own personal-emotional context for cycling, contexts
generally follow one of three re-occurring themes. (Return
to Top)
This
diagram illustrates three emotional contexts and presumptions about motorist
behaviours. Presumption of Ignorance: Other road users do not give a damn
about cyclists. Presumption of Innocence: Other road users mostly do not
intend to endanger cyclists. Presumption of Danger: Other road users are
unaware of cyclists.
When
cyclists adopt any one of these presumptions as true, they modify their
behaviour in traffic to fit the context. For the cyclist who believes other road
users do not give a damn about cyclists, riding predictably isn’t always
necessary because motorists don’t recognise or expect good road behaviour.
Cyclists who believe that other road users mostly do not intend to endanger
cyclists ride predictably and expect the same of other road users. Cyclists who
believe other road users are unaware of cyclists remain vigilant at all times
and ride as if motorists can’t see them. There are two variants of this
context: 1) cars are dangerous and 2) traffic is a war where riding is the
battle.
There
are deficiencies with all three themes. The presumption that motorists are
ignorant, and therefore wouldn’t recognise good cycling behaviour, is nothing
but an excuse to ride poorly and it does nothing to improve all road behaviour.
As a coping technique it is simple and effective because motorists are always to
blame. This context does not allow for emotional growth because the cyclist does
not reflect on the truth-value of their presumption. This context is closely
associated with Vagabond and Volatile cyclists and often with Vigilant cyclists
until they further develop their awareness of social responsibility.
The
presumption that other road users mostly do not intend to endanger cyclists is
sociable and generous but not entirely dependable for accident avoidance.
As a coping technique it is difficult to constantly rationalize but, if
the cyclist reflects openly on his or her experience, this presumption will lead
to emotional development and a better understanding of traffic. This presumption
of riding is associated with Vigilant and Veloquent cyclists before they learn
to reflect on changes within them self, society and traffic.
Lastly,
the presumption that motorists are unaware of cyclists leads to constant stress.
These hyper-vigilant cyclists are all alone with the rest of traffic instead of
being a part of it. As a coping technique this presumption rates very poorly
because of the cognition required and anxiety produced by manoeuvring through
traffic as if anything could happen. This
presumption of riding is associated with Volatile and Vigilant cyclists until
they develop a sense that they must interact with traffic to understand and
survive it.
Cyclists, who adhere to
emotional contexts presuming ignorance, innocence and danger, become emotionally
overwrought because they are constantly reacting to their perception of
motorists motivation or traffic itself. To diffuse emotions, a more
comprehensive emotional context is required to make sense of traffic and
concerns for self and society.
(Return
to Top)
This
diagram illustrates the inter-actionist context for transportation cyclists.
This model shows three variables that Veloquent cyclists consider during each
ride and try to improve upon whenever possible. Motorist
ability ranges
from good to bad. The Traffic Environment ranges from good to bad. Cyclist
ability ranges from good to bad. Crashes occur at the far end of each
range where two or all three of these ranges meet.
Cyclists
safeguard their emotions and cope better with traffic when they accept that both
lack of ability and poor environmental conditions lead to crashes. Poor motorist
behaviours are countered with excellent cyclist behaviours. Presuming
motorists’ behaviours are motivated by Ignorance and Innocence, or presuming
all traffic is dangerous all the time, is stressful and creates emotional
reactions of hate and disappointment. Accepting that behaviours need
development, not motivations, gives transportation cyclists, advocates and
educators a place to make a difference. The Inter-actionist context suggests
there is room for personal and social development and prevents uncalled for
emotional reactions.
Transportation
cycling requires mental and physicals skills that can compensate for other road
users and the environment. Because these skills take time to develop and some
road users never do develop them, it is important that other facilities
co-exist, with major traffic routes, where cyclists can hone their skills in an
environment that favours cyclists and reduces interaction with motorists.
Cyclists
choose their route to accommodate their emotions and presumptions, not their
physical skill level alone. Vigilant cyclists, those with undeveloped skills but
with a moderate degree of social responsibility, prefer bike routes even when it
means longer travel times. Veloquent cyclists, those with a moderate degree of
skills and social responsibility, have developed a comprehensive context to deal
with traffic. They have the ability to ride any route and choose their route by
the amount of time available and how they feel that day.
Cyclists need to develop attitudes that safeguard their emotions and they need to develop physical skills to help them remain emotionally and physically intact for another day of riding. Accepting there are personal and societal responsibilities, transportation cyclists become better communicators, understand the need for courtesy and contribute to their own and societal development by participating in advocacy any way they can.
Cycling
well IS Cycling Advocacy
.pdf
Printable version of this article. ~2,300 wds. You must have
an Acrobat reader.
(Return
to Top)