If you go by percentages Minneapolis is the second most popular city in the U.S. for bicycle commuters. This is great, I myself hope to start doing more of this. But it has come with a price. This year there have been nine commuter deaths. All of last year there were four. Commuting in Minneapolis is on the rise, and you could blame that for the spike in deaths. Being a hardcore cyclist for 10+ years and having spent 2+ years in Uptown, a hotbed for bikers, I can see where the problem lies. You can blame both parties for the problems we see occuring.
Drivers around town don’t give cyclists respect for the road. A lot still drive with the mindset that cyclists are not allowed on roads. They honk at us and yell at us to get off the road. This, is wrong. In a city like Minneapolis, its actually illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk. I can count so many times where I’m riding on the shoulder of a road, minding my own business and I get honked at, yelled at, flipped off, and the occasional object thrown my direction. Water balloons, bottles, you name it. Another favorite of mine is when I am riding up to street and the car behind me speeds up, cuts me off to take a right, causing me to slam on the brakes, curse the bastard for doing so, then thanking the company that made my brake calipers. You know they are thinking “oh cripes, I don’t want to wait for this clown”. So instead, you floor it, then suddenly brake. Pu-leeease. You can’t wait a few extra seconds to make that turn. Are you in that big of a rush? Drivers are supposed to give cyclists three feet of clearance between them and the rider. Now, in some cases this is impossible, but I’ve been buzzed many times by cars when they had plenty of room to move over. Sometimes, as they pass by they will add the revving up the engine that scares the shit out of you and almost makes you fall over.
Bikers are just as much to blame as drivers. If not the worst of the two. I’m gonna be honest on this. Bikers in Uptown, and downtown Minneapolis are some of the worst. As an avid cyclist myself I cringe at some of the things that go on. I can’t count how many times I see a biker blow right through a stoplight. Although there is occasion where they will slow down and check for cars, but still blow through the light. Thanks guys. What about hand signals? Good lord, would it kill someone to use a hand signal. I love the look back they give you while you are coming up behind them, like you know what they are thinking, then all of the sudden jet across the lane to make that turn. Its a good game of cat and mouse. The use of lights. Lights and reflectors are required at night. I have had so many instances where I’m driving down a back road in Uptown and some clown comes out of nowhere. Why? Because I can’t see him. Not a single reflector or light on them. I especially love it when they start yelling at me for not seeing them.
Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of law abiding drivers and cyclists in this city. Sadly, I think the bad apples out number the good ones. We’ve made a lot of strides to make commuting around the cities easier and more enjoyable for cyclists. The Mid-Town Greenway for example. Or the numerous biker “lanes” in the road. Those things make the experience for drivers and riders more enjoyable and less hazerdous. I fear, that if we continue to abuse our freedoms its going to get tougher and tougher to promote commuting. People need to wise up, and start paying attention. How many deaths is it going to take?
