Yesterday I had a pleasant day with the family, with the exception of having the pleasure of being heckled/scolded/yelled at for the first time in years while riding a bicycle in public... while riding with our 14month old son... because I was riding with my 14month old son.
We decided to take our son apple picking at a nearby orchard only 2 miles away. The majority of the route cuts through a network of parks and multiuse trails in preserved farmland/meadows but does require some pavement (along two different 2 lane roads.) Naturally, being cyclists and having bikes and gear suitable for carrying a few extra pounds of flesh and produce we decided to keep the car parked for the day and take the scenic route and make an afternoon of it considering the close proximity, familiar route, and favorable weather. The off pavement portion is on multiuse paths to which we directly connect through a park at the back of our neighborhood. Part of the trail runs parallel to one of the paved roads we'll need to double-back on to ride for 1000 to 2000ft before turning onto the intersecting road on which the orchard is located a mile further down. En route to the farm, during that first 1000-2000ft straight paved section, is where we encountered the indignant motorist. The road is an old 2-lane farm road and admittedly not ideal for cycling with an insufficient shoulder and drainage ditches on either side, but not very heavily trafficked. We entered the road with a right hand turn at the nearest crossing, my son and I out front with my wife trailing a couple hundred feet or so behind. As we were nearing the left turn I glance back and see a vehicle approaching from a slight distance back behind my wife but with lots of space still between us (and the vehicle) and the intersection almost upon us I deliberately signal our turn and begin to take the lane for the final 50yds or so. As we complete our turn and begin to head into the last mile on the even less trafficked 2 lane residential/rural road the driver proceeds to yell "...something something something... with an f#$%!ng child you f#$%!ng a-hole!" just as he floors the gas to accelerate and regain his desired mph. There was nothing confrontational about the situation otherwise... we were never even close enough to make eye contact, the driver never attempted to pass aggressively or do anything to otherwise put us in harms way, nor did I make any abrupt or sudden movements, etc. This was the first vehicle to encounter us heading in the same direction for the entire short stretch and I made what I felt was the safest and most reasonable decision after surveying our surroundings by taking the lane and swiftly turning off the busier of the two roads while we had the space and timing to safely do so. Our child's safety is something we certainly do not take lightly. I could sympathize with concern over the general element of risk of cycling on today's roads, and yes, this same risk clearly extends to my child passenger but apparently this person was so deeply offended enough by our actions of simply cycling with a toddler that they felt the need to erupt into an outburst of anger as they sped past... the irony of which is that in their final moment within our limited interaction they did nothing more than demonstrate the exact kind of driving behavior that puts all cyclists/pedestrians/motorists at risk (distracted/aggressive/etc.) and would jeopardize the safety of the child they seemed so concerned about in the first place. It could be that I'm a little overly sensitive still being a new parent, and new to family cycling, and maybe the amount of time that's lapsed between prior conflicts with motorists has re-sensitized me to an extent (several years ago I'd expect nothing less from most drivers, just sans the "child" part) but I've had this brief moment nagging me a bit this morning and curious to know what others have experienced in terms of cycling with kids and overly opinionated motorists, etc.? I recall reading of others who bike often with children, or incorporate it much more into daily life... sometimes dropping off and picking up kids at school, etc. Many of our local roads are less than desirable (same reasons noted above: insufficient shoulders, mostly) and many I've already ruled out for riding with our son and until this weekend all rides have been contained almost exclusively to our local park/trail system and rides into our small downtown (1 mile down from our development on low traffic residential roads.) I'm genuinely curious, how does everyone else evaluate their child/no child routes? Have you been similarly lectured by non-cyclists and has it been a recurring theme? I already have several non-cyclists in my family who've previously considered me crazy for cycling on roads with motorized vehicles long before our son arrived. I'm very conscientious about exposing him to unnecessary risk while riding and already severely restrict our short routes but I also take issue with the false assumption/belief that so many people seem to adopt that only cars belong on our roads. How do you strike a balance between inclusive cycling and teaching your children a share-the-road perspective while prioritizing safety and precautionary discretion? Thanks for reading (and thank you in advance for your thoughts) and please do not misinterpret my sharing this as having any sort of divisive anti-motorist/pro-cyclist agenda. I'm genuinely curious what others have experienced and how you've approached finding balance in your own cycling/parenting life? Best, Brian Cole Lawrenceville, NJ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. 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