India, yet another democracy where cyclists are discriminated against

[His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher]

While in America these drastic measures are not necessary, people simply fear traffic and just buy a car, in India, perhaps following the American model, cars are overwhelming the poor road infrastructure, and cyclists are simply the first ones to go. Again, India is not America, THE POOR HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO GET AROUND and cycling was the only escape...

'Ride to Breathe, a group of cyclists, and Switch On, an NGO, appealed to the city police commissioner to join them in Cycle Satyagraha, a peaceful walk to “Re-cycle Calcutta” this Sunday. Calcutta police barred bicycles from 174 thoroughfares in May.'

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130907/jsp/calcutta/story_17319089.jsp#.Ui4wnbwgp2M

***

So I guess we all will be breathing filth as India enters the globalized economy. Imagine the compounded effect of India and China plus America. It says that other Hindu cities are creating bike infrastructure, but if it is like here, they are ineffective and even dangerous. I would even welcome that they banned bicycles here rather than let you struggle for survival. We are the lowest among the lowest castes, perhaps only surpassed by pedestrians. Well, many cities skip the sidewalks altogether, so the option is...

Right: drive, drive, drive. Put a down for a Toyota, pay the loan for 5 years, and there you go: another polluter in a world dying from pollution. And more rage. I see those cars roaring and honking, speeding out of control, while pedestrians make a dash for life. Welcome to the Jungle.


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http://BANANAREVOLUTION.webspawner.com

[His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher]

On Wednesday, September 11, 2013 10:10:55 AM UTC-4, His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher wrote: blah, blah, blah
Monkey, with all due respect: Have you considered writing a diary instead of posting on Usenet?

Well, this is very important. Firstly, I put my clever yet practical ideas to the test, and once they go unanswered, they become "set in stone," so to speak (like the 10 Commandments). Secondly, they become part of a larger "jungle of ideas" out there. For example, you do a search under, "If you hate people you'll love America," and once people read they are converted. I mean, I make sense and this jungle of ideas will ultimately prevail over lies and dogmas, such as the 10 Commandments.

You'd have the same number of people reading your posts.

What counts in the final analysis is the quality. I know these ideas will become more necessary as our species goes the way of the dinosaurs. The only question is, "Will it be a big bang?" or "Will it be a gradual fight for survival where fat people are increasingly sought after for their tender meat?"
I like to think we are smart but maybe I'm wrong.

Well, luckily for all, there's already a diary out there that documents the struggle of cyclists in America in a way that not even my metaphorical jungle can depict better. And he suffered not a near collision but a real encounter with the beast (the bully) in a way we can not fully comprehend. He was the victim of road rage and left to bleed on the road, as far as I understand the facts. "Hit & runs" are rather common, so nobody even pays for you. That's my worst fear, being hit and left to bleed myself. But an even greater fear is that my girlfriend is hit and I survive. But random luck (or lack of proper road design) is blind and anyone, anyone can be next. That's why people don't bother to go on the road and rather ride on sidwewalks where they endanger pedestrians. That's why people don't even walk and must be looking over their shoulder, as if danger is everywhere.

Without further ado...

"A wreck in ME that sounds almost identical to a wreck in GA last month. Another left cross, intersection protocols to avoid or to mitigate damage, and infrastructure to prevent."

http://opusthepoet.wordpress.com/


***

By the way, the cross is a tradition started by Jesus... Shouldn't it have been the first and last cross? What was the point of him coming and starting a tradition marked by the cross? I think there's a subliminal message somewhere.

[His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher]

Monkey, with all due respect: Have you considered writing
a diary instead of posting on Usenet?

Hey, Frank, you misspelled "diarrhea". ;)

He's already producing diarrhea.
A diary would be more private. Hopefully, at any rate.

I know some here feel uncomfortable with the idea of being compared to the Indian lower castes (in a way similar to crap) so perhaps being compared to blacks and minorities is a valid comparison closer to home. This is about the UK, a country where road rage is perhaps mitigated by less selfish drivers driving smaller cars as well as by live cameras that catch much of the action as it happens...

Abuse of cyclists “almost like racial discrimination,” claims AA President

(this one is a deep psychological analysis of the driver)

Re the 'Psychologist' article on minority outgroups, I think the variable they are missing is the fact that overtaking cyclists is subconsciously perceived to require skills that expose their self-perceived incompetence. Bear with me.

Scenario 1. Driver approaches a cyclist from behind, eases off the accelerator long enough to assess the situation, decides that the oncoming traffic (or the overtaking traffic in lane 2) is a bit close, slows, looks for a good gap, mirror/signal/manouvre, foot down again and safely away.

Some drivers view this slowing etc as an impediment to their goal, as part of the same psyche that would cause them to road-rage other drivers. If you were to ask them, they wouldn't say that 2 seconds on their journey time was more important than your safety, but that's not how they actually think when at the wheel.

So, Scenario 2. Driver approaches a cyclist from behind, slowing down isn't really an option (as above), so suddenly they are confronted with a narrow point on the road, between the cyclist and the oncoming/overtaking traffic. This is effectively a moving chicane, and they tense up a little momentarily while they make the overtake. Then at the lights, the cyclist overtakes them to the ASL and the whole thing starts again. The driver gets frustrated because the whole thing makes them a little nervous, and the minority outgroup, rather than simply being an observed outgroup, repeatedly (collectively, if not an individual) exhibits behaviour which exposes this nervousness, and eventually causes resentment. I noticed this about my wife, but since I've been cycling again she's worked out how to interact with cyclists better.

There is also an education issue. Why can that cyclist stop past the line at the red light? Why can they filter up front to sit in the ASL? Why have they taken primary position in the middle of the lane? Why is there a two foot gap between them and the pavement? Sure, we know there are good reasons for it all, but they don't. It would be great to see the AA help us out on this with some educational adverts for example.

Anyway, kudos to EK and the AA for taking it this far. He seems to be talking some of the most sense in the whole wider debate right now.

http://road.cc/content/news/70594-abuse-cyclists-almost-racial-discrimination%E2%80%9D-claims-aa-president

***

But I say to the cyclists, don't feel bad, pedestrians are below you! Yeah, I know you hate them anyway.

[His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher]

I hate pedestrians too, but I hate them in a constructive way. And they hate us back. Actually, hate is good since it can help us find solutions. Pedestrians, cyclists and drivers hate one another because there are no proper way for each to have their own space. That's where proper laws can give us peace and harmony. To begin with, cyclists should not be on the sidewalks, and that happens because we fear the drivers.

In order to overcome that we must TAME TRAFFIC, ENFORCE LAWS & INSTALL PROPER FACILITIES. The politics of fear where the cyclists and pedestrians are at the bottom of the food chain is conducive to hate and chaos. The whole system is predatory and we are fighting for survival.

I hope those pedestrians that vote notice that we have a big problem and vote accordingly. I'm assuming the elderly are the most affected by this and as far as I know they are part of the most important voting machine in this democracy so dependent on the ballot. Yes, you feed the lion, then don't complain about being at the bottom of the food chain.

[His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher]

Post by His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher
I hate pedestrians too, but I hate them in a constructive way. And they hate us back. Actually, hate is good since it can help us find solutions. Pedestrians, cyclists and drivers hate one another because there are no proper way for each to have their own space. That's where proper laws can give us peace and harmony. To begin with, cyclists should not be on the sidewalks, and that happens because we fear the drivers.
In order to overcome that we must TAME TRAFFIC, ENFORCE LAWS & INSTALL PROPER FACILITIES. The politics of fear where the cyclists and pedestrians are at the bottom of the food chain is conducive to hate and chaos. The whole system is predatory and we are fighting for survival.
I hope those pedestrians that vote notice that we have a big problem and vote accordingly. I'm assuming the elderly are the most affected by this and as far as I know they are part of the most important voting machine in this democracy so dependent on the ballot. Yes, you feed the lion, then don't complain about being at the bottom of the food chain.

The whole thing is upside down when we analyse it this way: The only ones "roaming free" are cyclists and pedestrians while the "top predators," the drivers, are the ones feeding the system. The system, of course, prefers drivers and not people roaming free. Nothing is free in the land of the free.

Perhaps drivers resent that at the subconscious level when they attack cyclists and pedestrians. I pity them, I really do.

[His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher]

Post by His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher

Post by His Highness the Wise TibetanMonkey, Most Humble Philosopher
I hate pedestrians too, but I hate them in a constructive way. And they hate us back. Actually, hate is good since it can help us find solutions. Pedestrians, cyclists and drivers hate one another because there are no proper way for each to have their own space. That's where proper laws can give us peace and harmony. To begin with, cyclists should not be on the sidewalks, and that happens because we fear the drivers.
In order to overcome that we must TAME TRAFFIC, ENFORCE LAWS & INSTALL PROPER FACILITIES. The politics of fear where the cyclists and pedestrians are at the bottom of the food chain is conducive to hate and chaos. The whole system is predatory and we are fighting for survival.
I hope those pedestrians that vote notice that we have a big problem and vote accordingly. I'm assuming the elderly are the most affected by this and as far as I know they are part of the most important voting machine in this democracy so dependent on the ballot. Yes, you feed the lion, then don't complain about being at the bottom of the food chain.

The whole thing is upside down when we analyse it this way: The only ones "roaming free" are cyclists and pedestrians while the "top predators," the drivers, are the ones feeding the system. The system, of course, prefers drivers and not people roaming free. Nothing is free in the land of the free.
Perhaps drivers resent that at the subconscious level when they attack cyclists and pedestrians. I pity them, I really do.

We are out now riding a bike through a community where the pedestrians are the "untouchables," ie. they are less than human since they don't even get sidewalks. I pity them too.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0602_030602_untouchables.html