Almost the worst thing you'll ever write

 

Words do not capture the emotions you feel when you receive a text from a friend that says, "A driver hit me." They further fail when your friend goes on to describe a deliberate, random, and unprovoked attack by the driver against my friend as he was riding his bike inside of the last two blocks of his ride home. I will attempt to discuss it here but understand that I am furious, frustrated, and grateful all in the same heart right now.

My friend has made cycling his new fitness program. As gyms closed in 2020, he took to the roads 6 days a week for 11+ miles at a time, riding over 5000 miles since March 2020. This friend knows the rules of the road, has children riding in the JFK Bike Train, and rides as a family often. He was not operating unsafely, was wearing Hi-Viz yellow clothing, and had lights and conspicuity tape on the bicycle and his helmet. There was no way he was invisible to drivers despite it being 9:30PM. So what happened?

According to my friend, as he traveled up Bell Ave toward Thompson, a driver of what he believes to be a dark Hyundai Elantra (circa 2017) turned into his lane to drive at him head-on at around 15 MPH. To my friend, it was as if the driver were playing chicken with the cyclist and trying to intimidate or even hit my friend. As my friend swerved to avoid being hit head-on, the driver used his vehicle to hit the rear wheel of the bicycle causing my friend to be thrown from the bike and damage to the bike itself. The driver slowed to a near stop, but as my friend (thankfully) got up, the driver took off at high speed. No words were exchanged, no respect for the situation, the driver instead chose to high-tailing it from the scene.

Thankfully neighbors on Bell and Thomson hearing the noise and commotion were able to attend to my friend and call the Raritan PD. The Police responded, made a report, and designated it a hit and run.

My friend is bruised and shaken. The biggest bruise is to his sense of community. This driver, looking directly at him, chose to make his car a weapon for no apparent reason. There was no prior altercation, there were no threats, warnings, or anything that would just explain why this happened. Not that even in those instances would using a car to assault another human would ever be justified, but at least there would have been a series of events to follow.

I am grateful this is not a eulogy of a wonderful man who has community in his heart and walks daily a life of service and graciousness. Instead, this is a post that decries this antagonistic and evil behavior of another man who saw the life and well-being of a fellow human as unimportant, insignificant and something like a bug to be squished. This is a cultural issue in America right now. I have experienced unreasonable animosity at times on my bike from coal-rollers, punishment passes, and overly negligent drivers, but I have never faced a deliberate attack that caused a crash, Praise God, and I hope I never do.

So what can we do about this? As cyclists, I would call us to ride aware of our surroundings so that if someone does attempt to attack us, we can react. As a driver, I plead with all other drivers to drive safely, be aware of others and leave with enough time to arrive on time and safely. Studies have shown that many road rage incidents start with tight schedules and rushed behavior laying a foundation of frustration and anger that is then played out in animosity towards other road users.

I beg and plead with all to be human, see human, and provide safe streets to all by being safe on our streets. Today was a day I could hug my friend and feel bummed at a broken bike. I am grateful he was able to hug me back.

5/12/2021 - The RAIN DATE for National Bike to School Day for the JFK Primary Bike Train

 

Come join us at Frelinghuysen Park on Sherman Ave at 8 AM EST to ride together to school, or join us anywhere along the route. We will ride in together and ride home together at the end of the day in celebration of National Bike to School Day. 

Helmets are required. No bikes with training wheels, please. Riders must be able to follow directions and ride confidently.

Our route is as follows:

SEE YOU THERE!

Bikes and Schools in a COVID World

"Better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos."

I fear my thoughts here may simply add to the pile of opinions that have been thrown at parents all around the world as we face hard decisions about schooling. The concept of a 'third rail of politics' was something I learned from watching West Wing as a teen, for those unaware, the short meaning is it's a charged and untouchable topic. Bringing the concept to the modern, I think we extend it to a new forum, the third rail of social media. School re-opening is a hotbed issue and becoming a third rail itself. I have personally witnessed people who have been friends for decades argue fiercely and angrily over what they see as the appropriate path for the fall. 

So let me address this with my irrefutable fact. I am not an expert.

I think that despite serious, and valid, concerns about school re-opening, a significant portion of the population is looking to return their children to the care of schools all over the country come the start of their school year. So there is a segment looking to allow for some mitigated risk. Schools may look very different for our students, or they may continue to have their education served to them virtually which was something they had a crash course in this last spring. What a true time of chaos for our teachers, students, and administration. They should be commended for the efforts they've already made and encouraged through the decisions they have to make. I have an opinion about how I would like to see school be structured for the fall, but based on surveys I've seen, I am not in the majority, nor am I in the seat where my opinion has any weight, so I will move on from this topic.

Where I do have an opinion to voice that I feel has some weight is about getting our students to school.

If/When your student(s) go back to school, I encourage all to look for a way to get them there that is healthy, safe, and clean. When COVID-19 crashed our world, it did an amazing thing, it forced people from their offices, their gyms, but most of all their habits. It was so disruptive, we began to look for alternatives. Suddenly, normally empty and quiet parks were teeming with activity. Bike Shops used to a spring rush, suddenly faced a rush estimated to be 7-10x the normal volume. Bikes still haven't returned to normal levels. Older used bikes are frequently selling for 2-3x the value they sold for in the fall. People have been faced with more time on their hands, and fewer places to spend it, so they have been going for walks, hikes, and bike rides. I myself have seen my mileage triple during this time period versus the same period for previous years. Some of the charted data below are misleading because there are years that I focused on running, or other means of exercise (or none at all) but 4 of the top 6 months from the last 72 months (about as far back as I have tracked) are months during this pandemic.

Hey buddy, none of this has to do with schools!!!

Hang on, I'm getting there.

Cycling is on the list of lower/lowest risk activities for COVID transmission. Add to that fact that the CDC has even recommended families ride bikes together during our recent reduction is social outlets as a means to ward off depression, stay fit, and encourage healthy choices. So why not also include it in the discussions about returning to school?

Every discussion I have heard so far as weighed the risk of a bus and the likely traffic of cars heading to school from parents. As a parent, the tight, and likely harder to maintain, environment of the bus presents a threat worse than the classroom. I may be wrong in my feelings, but I am not the only parent who has voiced these misgivings. So let's continue to consider what the CDC has told us to consider doing since the schools closed in the spring; Take a walk, or ride bikes as a family.

Raritan is a town that the majority of the population is within 1.5 miles by road of JFK Primary School. Many on kind roads for walking and biking. Now, there are significant obstacles for non-automotive travel for many households, namely 202. That is not something that can be solved in a month. Even as an experienced rider, crossing 202 on First Ave is something of an adventure. So I will concede that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, BUT... What if we could do something that could service 60-75% of the students in the school while making for less traffic in the parking lot and less crowding on the buses. We can!

Starting in 2016, I and a few other parents began the JFK Bike Train. A topic that I have discussed here previously. It is a wonderful way to get to school in 'tranquil' years, but in the years of chaos, a melding of fun and active transportation with CDC recommended activities for the new normal helping to stay active and fight emotional stressors.

The JFK Bike Train has traditionally been one that leaves from Freylinghusen Park on Sherman Ave, snaking its way to Thompson, Second St, Second Ave, Third, meeting the other Train leaving from Quick and Tillman, coming down First Ave to meet at Johnson, continuing on to Weis, Helene, Arnold and finally Woodmere into the JFK Lot.

Typically, Bike Train day was Tuesday because that was when parents could align their schedules to assist the students riding to and from school, however, with the new normal having more parents working from home, parent availability may increase meaning more days are possible. Bike Train may go full-time!

If you are reading this and thinking, 'I would prefer to take my child to school than have them ride the bus and the thought of driving them every day may be too much for me to handle,' maybe the bike train can be a solution. With enough participation and proper protocols, capable riders can join without their parents having to join every time. We have handled up to 18 students with 4 regular adults. It's amazing how well the students ride together and follow the rules when they are made aware of them and taught how important all of that is. So if you are considering it, please reach out to me either in the comments or on the Bike Raritan Facebook page. We're always looking for new riders and parents to join and encourage anyone who is a capable and safe rider to consider joining in on the fun.

Look here for updates.