I've made a lot of progress in thinking assertively and - though I don't have to do it often - being an active member of the traffic flow, even if it's a slow flow. This means that when I'm approaching a bridge, trying to gauge my speed so that cars can get by but then... guys, I'm here, and accelerating. (I hate it, too.) Once I've visually slowed and pulled off and stopped... I'm in a different category - somebody who is nervous and should be "out of the way." I try to be pedaling strong and looking strong ... and I am fairly strong, even on the big bikes, but I think that's mostly illusion anyway and that if you toss it into a low gear so you're pedaling fast, the drivers will *think* you're strong and know what you are doing.
SOme of them will not wish you to exist anyway. Let's face it, thsoe people are always out there, and it takes courage and antacids to face them directly. Those folks probably aren't going to be changed by my presence - but there's a whole lot of other folks whose attitudes are gradually changed by my presence (and the presence of other cyclists), as they realize "oh, yes, cyclists do use this road, and they know how to drive." When there are more of us, it stops being "wow, a crazy lady on a bike!" and - hopefully! - evolves into "oh, cyclists have to get over the interstate, too. Maybe spending a little more tax money to make it a little wider would be a good idea." Or... "oh! she can do it, maybe I can do it too!" (Or, "See, Betsy, biking to work is *not* ludicrous! We're going to the bike shop!" ) And can you imagine... 50 people a day... 50 people a day... riding over that overpass... singing a bar of Alice's Restaurant ... [okay, the ENG 101 teacher across the hall just showed a Jackson Browne clip for some reason... ]
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