Commonality

I recently picked myself up a new motorbike, and last Sunday had the opportunity to take it for a good long ride with a mate.  We did an awesome long loop down through northern NSW and then back to Brisbane via Mt Tamborine. 

While we were riding, it got me thinking about something that has been kicking around inside my little head for a while.  Cycling and motorcycling have a lot in common, demonstrated by the number of cyclists I saw out that day, as well as plenty of the motorised version.  Although they share a lot of similarities, there isn’t really any obvious camaraderie between the two groups, and I think this is strange.  From my own experiences as a cyclist, and from speaking to other motorcyclists, I’ve found that motorcyclists hold a pretty dim view of cyclists, and I don’t think there is a lot of love in the other direction either.

You may or may not agree with my thought that the two groups share a lot of common ground, but here are my reasons:

1. As already mentioned, we enjoy the same roads.  Hills, twisties, scenery, minimal traffic, no traffic lights, and opportunities to pull over and take a breather.  These are the sorts of things that, to me, make for a great ride, whether I am on a pushie or a moto.
2. We are both intimately involved with our environment when we ride, not cocooned inside a metal box.  You feel the wind, you feel the cold, the heat, you feel the road underneath your tyres as you lean through a corner.
3. Both are marginalised groups in our society.  Our roads are not generally designed with bikes or motorbikes in mind, in Australia the car is still king.
4. Both groups are seen as oddities by the broader public – we both use group specific language, both wear ‘weird’ clothing.
5. Neither is particularly popular, unfortunately I think many people would prefer us off ‘their roads’.
6. Maybe the most important point, if I get hit by a car when riding a bike or a motorbike, either way it’s going to hurt.  A lot.

Car drivers aren’t very good at using the roads.  I’m allowed to say that because I have a car too (yes this is a bit tongue in cheek).  But really, they are crap.  I actually think that, as cars have gotten better, the drivers have gotten worse.  It doesn’t take much skill to drive a car, at least to drive a car badly.  Just point it in the direction you want to go and press the go-faster deevy.  Power steering, automatic gearboxes,  ABS, traction control, air conditioning, airbags, sat nav, reversing cameras, automated lights etc etc.   They all make the cars great, but they don’t do much to improve the skill of the driver.  As a motorcyclist you are trained to assume that everyone else on the road is trying to kill you, and it’s much the same on a bicycle.  I really do believe that being a motorcyclist/cyclist has made me a much better driver, so hopefully the increasing popularity of two wheeled transport will gradually translate to better four-wheeled drivers too.

I think it is in the best interests of both cyclists and motorcyclists to start having a bit more time for each other.  As allies we could do much to improve road design and driver behaviour.  Plus, it just makes sense for Australia to push for more cyclists and motorcyclists, and conversely less cars on our roads.  Building more and more roads for more and more cars just doesn’t make sense, it’s a lose-lose scenario, yet our governments keep doing it.

So next time you are out for a ride, whatever your choice of vehicle, try to spread the love a little bit.  We can all benefit.