Citi-Bikers….Microcosm of Bigger Problems?

I haven’t written a blog in quite some time. I suppose for an assortment of reasons, less free time, feeling I had nothing relevant to write, or maybe just afraid of what I was going to spew out. I’ve really tried to purposely minimize my exposure to political issues in media and social media. The usual Us vs. Them mentality just gets exhausting and sad. Do what you may(within the law), believe what you want and voice your opinions on these matters. Lately however, more and more, I see a distinct sense of a self-righteousness* coming through in people’s expression of their opinions. These views are often just perspectives from oneselves eyes and ears and do not define right or wrong. I personally live in a world that’s very grey, or at least variably cloudy. Black and white are not the same as like or dislike, nor agree or disagree. These are opinions.

Actually in my heart I believe the problem is much bigger. It’s the total loss of empathy from a large part of the population. The following is a quote I came across recently and have to say it’s certainly food for thought. It’s a quote from Bill Bullard.

“Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge… is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world. It requires profound purpose larger than the self kind of understanding.”

― Bill Bullard

*Definition of self-righteous (Merriam-Webster definition)

: convinced of one’s own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic

*Wikipedia Description

Self-righteousness, also called sanctimoniousness, sententiousness and holier-than-thou attitudes^[1][2] is a feeling or display of (usually smug) moral superiority^[3] derived from a sense that one’s beliefs, actions, or affiliations are of greater virtue than those of the average person. Self-righteous individuals are often intolerant of the opinions and behaviors of others.^[4] A self-righteous person might also be described as expressing disinterest in seeking an unselfish or objective standard of right and wrong, independently of how they interact with other people.

With all of this as pretext I want to vent a bit about behavior I am noticing amongst the humanoids that is getting far too common, IMO. I share the following.

Something in NYC that continues to bloom into a more convoluted issue in getting around the city is the use of Citi-Bikes. We hear about people on bikes being struck by speeding drivers and the city responds by reducing speed limits and increasing the number of cameras around town to issue tickets automatically. While there is no question safety should come first for all and anyone driving recklessly in the city, or anywhere for that matter, should be punished. However, more often than not, in my observations, I see people on Citi-Bikes often riding the wrong way on streets, going against traffic. Passing through red lights and stop signs. Many times barely missing pedestrians who are looking at cars from the proper direction to step off the curb and being blindsided by a cyclist.

Yet I hear no cry or threat from the mayor or city councils to do anything about the very dangerous and somewhat self-righteous behavior of these law breaking vehicles on the streets. This is not a one-way problem, but yet continues to get treated that way. All I hear is “drivers are the problem”. In my opinion much of the city and its boroughs are not ideally suited for thousands of bikes to be a significant mode of transportation on the already crowded streets. Nice idea, but this city is too congested already between commuters, taxis, Ubers & Lyfts, limos and electric scooters let alone pedicabs. Yet we make separate lanes for bikers with separate traffic lights for them and many continue to travel about as if they were 8 years old, back in the day, riding their bike on the sidewalks of Brooklyn or Queens, aimlessly and irresponsibly dangerous. Only problem is it’s not in some quiet bucolic neighborhood, it’s in the heart of one of the busiest cities in the world.

Case in point, I was pulling out from my parking space on 48th street between 6th & 5th avenue recently. That street faces east and I was parked on the left side(north side) of the street. There is a designated bike lane right next to me on the side I’m pulling out from. While I slowly do this, I need to look in my side and rear view mirrors to make sure I’m clear to pull out. In addition, as is typical, trucks and cars ahead of me are double parked making deliveries etc. As I pull out looking behind me to insure I’m safe to get into the street and flow of traffic, a bicyclist comes flying at me from the wrong way and I slam on my brakes to avoid a collision. This is then followed by another 4-5 Citi-bikers doing the same thing.

In frustration I roll down my window and yelled “you’re all going the wrong way”! No inappropriate adjectives or adverbs were used, although plenty were swirling in my head. What was the response I received? Well, typical of this self-righteous world we live in today, I got a resounding “F@ck you as$hole”! Isn’t that special? Of course if I were to have struck them accidentally, I would likely be sued and in court.

There is a problem here. Not just bike riders, but drivers and pedestrians all going about doing as they please and owning it as if it’s their right to go against any existing traffic law because they think, “I can make this”.

“Insanity in individuals is something rare – but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

So in wrapping this up as quickly as I can, I will only say, it’s just sad and frustrating to watch social graces just deteriorating before our eyes. The world is constantly changing and evolving both physically and socially, but honestly, if society in this country were a sports team, we are on a long losing streak at the moment. Personally, I try to be optimistic about things, but right now I’m not holding onto too much hope of snapping out of it anytime soon. When fear of some harm coming your way stops you from pointing out a wrong……well we have lost our way.