It was a nice day the other day in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, even in the midst of a January winter, so as usual I was out on my electric bike and I think I saw a UFO. It startled me at first because it was a rather unusual sight.
I was of course, observing proper bike path etiquette, and notice a strange object in my peripheral vision to the left, moving with traffic in the right lane. At first I could not identify it because it was such an anomaly. Then, I became aware that it was a bicycle, but it wasn’t just a normal road bike you see with the rider all decked out in the usual, “Yes I’m making a statement,” bike fashion, it was a single speed, rental bike. And, as if that wasn’t the worst of it, it was sporting a wicker basket attached to the handlebars. I know, I can hear the gasps!
On any normal day, the right side of the right lane of the road is reserved for road bikes, who like to hog as much of the road as they can as they slow down traffic from 35mph to a 15 to 20mph funeral procession pace. They are at least honest in their arrogance as they bogart the road. But then there was this guy playing Lance Armstrong minus the steroids, on his rental bike with a basket nonetheless.
I don’t get it. What is the bike path for? Why choose to ride your slow-to-a-crawl bike in traffic when there’s a bike path? Thankfully, Walton County Florida has used some of our tax money to put a bike path on 30A, but Mr Armstrong With A Basket decides to ride in traffic instead.
Was he proud of his basket? Does he think bike paths are for sissies? Did his vacation mojo just get the best of him? Did he have too much to drink at the pool this afternoon?
Mid January in Santa Rosa Beach is pretty low key. There aren’t a lot of tourists around, so the bike path is not filled with people meandering aimlessly with no regard for anyone but themselves, while they block the flow of traffic to take vacay Instagram selfies. Being that there was a perfectly good, nearly empty, well maintained and safe bike path just 50 feet across the road, why plod down the road at probably a 10 mph pace right out in traffic?
I would be less animated about all this if it weren’t for one tiny thing. The dude had a bicycle basket and he was playing Tour De 30A like a champ. I mean, not even the annual Halloween 30A Witches Ride does this. Even with all the double, double, toil and trouble the witches could cause, they at least adhere to the safety of the bike path.
I’m glad I’m not a dictator of an underdeveloped nation who likes to play soldier and wear a military uniform all decorated with The Franklin Mint style medals. Because if you rode your bike with a bicycle basket, on the road in my country when there was an entirely legit bike path (something you would rarely see in under developed central or south American lands, but work with me here), you would go straight to jail, even if you never undercook or overcook fish.
I just want to know what people who do such a thing are thinking? And when they’re walking, do they also like to wander in traffic, while the rest of us prefer the safety of a sidewalk?
Hahah
I get it