Chris Core on "The Growing Phenomenon of Bicycle Road Rage"

Chris Core is a WTOP commentator. Recently he gave a commentary on "Growing Phenomenon of Bicycle Road Rage." Here's the transcript with help from FABB's Bruce Wright

It's very impractical for a 5,000 lb vehicle that can go 80 mph to equally share the road with a 20 lb bike that does about 15 tops. Yet, bikers now apparently feeling newly empowered seem to feel it's perfectly fine for them to ride right in the middle of traffic doing 15 mph and get hostile when you drive around them.

Furthermore, many of them drive on narrow roads, like Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park, right next to the, um, bike path. And although they claim equal road rights and moral superiority over those of us in motorized vehicles, they are horrible scofflaws when it comes to passing, cutting in and out of traffic, and little details like stop signs. Not a sermon, just a thought. Two way courtesy is a core value.

Sigh. I just can't stand having the same fights over and over again. Why doesn't Chris Core call WABA and ask about some of this stuff? He just sounds like an idiot.

Again,

1. It is not impractical. Most people seem to be able to handle it. If you can't share the road with a bike, please leave your car at home. The size of the bike shouldn't matter - that is an argument against motorcycles as well. The speed shouldn't matter - that's an argument against Amish buggies, construction equipment etc...as well.

2. It is fine to ride in the middle of traffic doing 15 miles per hour. There is no minimum speed on roads where cycling is legal. Cyclists may, and often must, take a lane.

3. If cyclists get hostile when you pass, you're probably passing too closely.

4. The multi-use path in Rock Creek Park (not a bike path) is in poor shape, does not meet minimum safety standards and is too busy with other users for effective use as a commuter route.

5. Myth of the Scofflaw Cyclist

6. Cyclists breaking the law bother him. Cyclists obeying the law by taking the lane and riding in the road with cars bother him. So he's just bothered by cyclists.

You can email Mr. Core here. Though I don't expect it to help much. He's been complaining about this since at least October of 2002. He responded to Freewheeling Spirt

It was simply an observation... its what commentators do!

I bet Montgomery County would like its Keep Montgomery County Moving Award back.

I seem to remember NPR running an almost identical commentary a few years ago and shortly thereafter they allowed WABA to respond (I can't find it in my archive though).

Update: Thanks to JeffB here they are. Commentary by Marvin Kalb - bikes & cars & Why Bicycles Belong.

Hopefully, WTOP will do the same.

Addendum: Almost forgot. This has nothing to do with a "growing phenomenon of bicycle road rage." The only people who seem angry are Chris Core and the unfortunate people he passes too closely.

Comments

People like this are the root of the problem. Do we contact the head of WTOP or the parent company Bonniville International. His statment is not inline with their mission statment which can be found here.

http://www.bonneville.com/?nid=9

It says nothing about angering and pitting their audience against one another which is what he has done.

[Joe]

I have had cars pass me while I am riding at 26mph on my bicycle on beach drive. They were at a speed that they should have been pulled over for speeding.

It is and always will be legal to ride a bicycle on the road.

[Eric]

"It says nothing about angering and pitting their audience against one another which is what he has done."

This is an interesting observation. I made that final point in my e-mail to him:

"Otherwise, uninformed comments such as yours will be making life for bicyclists more dangerous because motorists feel justified in riding up to bicyclists to intimidate them, pass them too closely or do other things that can endanger life and limb of these human beings."

Very sad that this guy knows so little but gets such an outlet.

Eric

[IMGoph]

people who are angry at bicyclists legally biking on the road have psychological problems. inadequacy problems. some kind of problems. fact is, we're all just trying to get to our destinations, and for some reason, a lot of car people fixate on the one or two times that they've come across a cyclist breaking the law. but if you bring up the fact that hundreds (if not thousands) of car drivers break the law every day, they brush that fact off and try to get you to discuss their fixation exclusively.

it sounds like mr. core needs to get over his fixation. it's not an observation, it's a crutch.

[tpjim]

Shane, it may not "seem" right, but it is perfectly legal and there are perfectly good reasons for it being that way.

If you (and now I mean "you" generally, not Shane) are trying to get somewhere in a car, perhaps you feel frustrated following behind a cyclist at a speed slower than you're capable of. This frustration is similar to that which you feel sitting in congested Beltway traffic or hitting your seventh consecutive red light: you are taking longer to get where you are headed than you thought you would, or than you theoretically could if it were just you on the road. And the answer is the same in all three situations: you aren't entitled to bike-free streets anymore than you're entitled to light traffic or green lights all the way.

A car sympathizer might argue back: "Yes, but traffic congestion is a consequence of the decisions of thousands of people, and red lights are the result of bureaucratized automation, whereas the slowpoke in front of me is a single selfish individual." This is just an attitude problem, as far as I'm concerned: why is the cyclist more selfish than the driver? If traffic's going fast enough that you can outpace the cyclist, yet you get no opportunity to pass him safely within 45 seconds, you're just on the wrong road.

Which brings us back to Chris Core: what's he doing commuting to work on Beach Drive when real commuter arteries like Connecticut Avenue and 16th St are so close?

Plus: I don't know what stretch of Beach Drive he's talking about, but north of Blagden Avenue, though there are paths, cyclists are not allowed on them.

(IMGoph just covered a lot of this ground, I see.)

[freewheel]

It really is the same fight over and over again. It's going to take a lot of patience and persistence to get the message through. So I hope Eric will go on WTOP and the set the record straight as clearly as you have done here.

[abbot of unreason]

I once heard Chris Core complain about using headlights during the day. His problem seemed to be that if people did that, then people would stop noticing and it wouldn't do any good. Or something.

I think he sees his job as complaining, so he finds stuff to complain about. He's a professional whiner. It's a job.

[ibc]

Riding a bike on the road at 15mph does not seem right. People should follow what Chris is saying.

In my day, the Internet trolls trolled like they *meant* it, dag gummit. Nowadays?

Pathetic!

[Contrarian]

If you intend to contact him -- and I encourage you to -- point out that the golden rule of punditry is that you are entitled to your own opinions, but not your facts. Stress that by having so many erroneous statements in his commentary he is doing a disservice to his listeners and undermining his own credibility.

[Joe]

My can't get my email through on WTOP's web site! Maybe to many people complaining :)

[Eric_W.]

Hi freewheel,

I sent an e-mail to Core, or at least the website said it went through.

This is what I wrote:

Dear Mr. Core,

Your Bicycle Road Rage contribution is astonishingly misguided.

First, I do not know why you have a 5,000 lb automobile to move yourself around. Both cars in our four-person household weigh less than 3,500lbs and get us anywhere we want safely and in comfort.

Second, as you certainly should know before commenting on it, bicyclists have as much right to be on the roads you mention as you. This fundamental misunderstanding of the law may be why you feel road rage against cyclists (and who knows against whom else) who are trying to get to work just like you. Do you feel somehow more entitled then bicyclists? (Oh, and may I assume that, if the bicyclists goes faster than "about 15 tops", then you complain that they are all would-be racers training for the Tor de France.)

Third, what kind of road rage will a bicyclist display? Run into your 5,000 lbs vehicle with a 20 lbs bike? Judging from your otherwise unenlightened attitude, you may likely have passed a bicyclist without leaving at least three feet of passing distance which obviously will make any bicyclist being passed by a 5,000 lbs behemoth nervous.

Fourth, are you just angry that the occasional bicyclists may roll through a stop sign or red light when they can and you have to sit in traffic in your automobile? Seems to me that you are picking on the wrong group.

I highly recommend you do some research next time you are going on one of your silly tirades.

There are two good ways to gain more knowledge on this issue:
1. Get in the saddle and drive to work; see how much fun it is despite all the people in 5000 lb vehicles passing you too closely. You would be surprised how many drivers are actually unlike you and display courteousness and civility.

2. Go to the website of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association at http://www.waba.org/ . Call them up or visit them in person; I am sure they will be able to explain your questions to you in detail.

Otherwise, uninformed comments such as yours will be making life for bicyclists more dangerous because motorists feel justified in riding up to bicyclists to intimidate them, pass them too closely or do other things that can endanger life and limb of these human beings.

Best regards,

[Eric_W.]

I hate the spelling errors that made it through... "Tor de France" arrgghh

[Washcycle]

The comment from Shane that read "Riding a bike on the road at 15mph does not seem right.People should follow what Chris is saying." was deleted because it was linkspam.

[Jimmy]

15mph? That's gentle coasting speed. Comfortable cruising speed on my 3-speed folding bike with 16" wheels is 18mph, 23-25 when I've got somewhere to go.

Cyclists go much faster than people think.

[Joe]

New WTOP article on this issue !!!!

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1518097

[Jack]

I'm glad Core picked Beach Drive for his example since it displays his ignorance so perfectly. Beach Drive is in a park for heaven's sake. It's more a bike route than a car route, with the western end made purposely difficult to access by car. The route is featured as a prominent bike connection in all county master plans. Meanwhile the sidepath is one of the worst around for bike transportation. To say cyclists should get off Beach Drive and use the path is like telling truck drivers they should get off I-270 and use residential streets.

Of course cyclists' use of ANY road is perfectly acceptable (except where explicitly prohibited). Core's "speedism" is pretty much old hat. If drivers find themselves going slower than they'd like because of cyclists, let them advocate for more roads or more lanes or good bike lanes. Criticizing law-abiding users of the transportation system for meeting their own legitimate needs is pure arrogance. What's next, criticizing people who have lots of items in the grocery store line?

[Jack]

Let's also tell this commentator that bicycling is the ultimate example of self-reliance that conservatives like to talk about. We don’t need major infrastructure, don't need oil, and don't need a motor to propel us around. We have to work hard to get anywhere. I know conservatives who are proud to be bicyclists.

[jeffb]

Hey Washcycle,

I think the NPR commentary you are thinking of is from the WAMU program Metro Connection. I know when I first heard Kalb’s commentary my blood boiled! I emailed the program that day regarding my feelings and the program’s producer, David Furst, got back to me that day with the promise to broadcast a response from WABA.

Here are the links to Kalb’s (“King of the road”) commentary and WABA’s response.

See ‘Commentary by Marvin Kalb - bikes & cars’
http://wamu.org/programs/mc/05/06/24.php

See ‘Why Bikes Belong’
http://wamu.org/programs/mc/05/07/01.php

[Froggie]

The thing that's bugged me the most about bicyclists (and drivers too, for that matter) is those who do run red lights and stop signs. It's one thing to slow down but not stop for a stop sign on a bike when there's no other cars around. But it's another thing (and no better than the cars who do it) to run lights and stop signs when there ARE other vehicles around, especially vehicles who have the right-of-way.

No myth. Just an observation. From a frustrated driver AND cyclist.

[Contrarian]

Who listens to WTOP during the day? Mostly people in their cars.

How do WTOP reporters spend their days? Going to news events. How do they get there? Almost exclusively by car.

It should come as no surprise that the station is auto-centric.