Road Hog

I've come to dislike automobiles in a way that isn't easy to explain. First let me say that it's not that I won't get into one; they are necessary evils. You can't bike/walk/take a bus/train everywhere and I understand that. Some people have to commute by car because they have no choice and that's just fine. Chicago residents that use cars on a daily basis, um, sorry but I couldn't be farther from agreeance with you. I'm not going to list the reasons why driving sucks because...you already know why. It's just that lots of people are just so used to and dependent upon a car. This city is what changed me. I'm on my way out of this car culture. It's one of the easier things to leave behind.

Funniest part is that I own a car. Sure, it sits in hibernation for two to three week spans. It has no stereo (was stolen), no air condish (never worked) and it smelled like old coffee for a really long time until I bombarded it with air fresheners. This car is like a locket with a picture of an old friend in it. A remembrance of a past life. And it's not like this old friend died, he's still around but I've got to cut the strings. Let him go.

Financial: before I can sell a car I had to make sure everything is in working order. $200 later the car is "fixed". Note: I drove the car to the suburbs where the only mechanic on Earth that I trust is located. I'm guessing I can sell it to a teenager who needs a first car or someone who just needs something to kick around in. Great gas mileage! Spending that $200 made my blood boil. It was the absolute last way I wanted to drop money.

Now, since I don't drive I bike. To/from work. To/from Jewel. To/from any party or bar you can think of. I've ridden in the stupidest winter conditions and I've ridden on every beautiful day this Chicago summer has given us. My favorite rides are home from work. By this time the Loop is starting to clear out and air has usually cooled off. This isn't to say that it's always aces on my ride home. Kids, you've gotta watch out for....drum roll....business woman in BMW convertible! Last night, I'm cruising downtown on a street that doesn't have a bike lane. This doesn't mean I can't ride on it. It just means that there is less room for bikes and cars to coexist. You've got to be more careful, obviously. Regardless of whether there is a row of parked cars next to me or not I (we) maintain a straight line down the road. Riding straight: no confusion to anyone. Riding crooked/back n' forth: guts on pavement. BMW convertible lady rolls up next to me with less than a foot to spare. UNDER HER BREATH she rumbles something my way and I hear her. NOTE: I don't listen to my iPod while I ride and if you do you're dumb AND you miss out on what people say to you as they pass! So, from what I can tell she is telling me that I should've moved over because I was on a stretch of road (about a block) with no cars to my right. And because of this I made her drive in a way that made her slightly slow down and pay attention.

Red light. YES! I stop short of the intersection and pull up parallel to her. Her convertible (top down, natch) leaves her open for conversation whether she likes it or not. Now, I'm not angry. She didn't yell at me like others have. We were two adults having a conversation about the car/bike relationship in the middle of street in downtown Chicago, no big deal. She told me she had a friend who was killed on a bike and gets nervous whenever she sees us in traffic. I explained to her that the way I ride (straight) is to stay in the driver's field of vision and that continually scooting over and then coming back closer to traffic makes it more dangerous for everyone. The light changes and she tells me that she sees where I'm coming from, but that she can't help but think of her dead friend. I agree with her and confirm again that I'm a safe rider for that reason: I don't want to be like her friend.

It's a grid system. There are lights that mean stop and go. You look both ways before you do anything. You take into account that you aren't guaranteed another second of breath. If you look at that commute in that way I think you'll be alright. That's how I roll. I don't like your car and I don't like how the exhaust stinks. And if you ride with the top down and want to talk about how we can get along, then that's cool. Let's chat, just make it quick because I've got to clip into these pedals and beat you to the next light.