Missed connection

[jopamora]

Me: Riding two abreast in the 14th St bike lane
You: Exiting the rear of the bus

I am sorry that I wasn’t paying attention and ended up brushing against you. I am even more sorry for just slowing down and asking if you were ok instead of stopping.

[americancyclo]

You:
[IMG]http://bikearlingtonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7162&stc=1[/IMG]

[83b]

You: Well-dressed woman *sprinting in heels* from the Covington & Burling building mid-block across Penn Ave and stopping dead in the middle of the westbound bike lane without so much as a glance in my direction.
Oncoming cyclist: Sees emerging conflict, edges over to outside of eastbound lane.
Me: Lays hard on the brakes and narrowly averts disaster by crowding oncoming cyclist.

I should have laid her out. I was wearing a helmet and it was very likely the only chance I’ll ever have to own a Law Firm Partner-sized house in Chevy Chase without having to get hit by a luxury vehicle.

[Drewdane]

Me: stopped just short of the Intersection of Doom last night to fix a minor mechanical.

You: The approximately ten cyclists who rode right by without so much as a “You OK?” Wow! Self-absorbed much? I hope I never find myself in a situation where I actually need help for real if that’s what I can expect.

The two who displayed a shred of common decency are memorialized in the Found Connections thread.

[dasgeh]

@Drewdane 101714 wrote:

Me: stopped just short of the Intersection of Doom last night to fix a minor mechanical.

You: The approximately ten cyclists who rode right by without so much as a “You OK?” Wow! Self-absorbed much? I hope I never find myself in a situation where I actually need help for real if that’s what I can expect.

The two who displayed a shred of common decency are memorialized in the Found Connections thread.

Or you can take it as a compliment that they thought you looked like you could handle yourself.

[Drewdane]

@dasgeh 101719 wrote:

Or you can take it as a compliment that they thought you looked like you could handle yourself.

I make a habit of at least asking if someone has everything they need. You never know…

[dasgeh]

@Drewdane 101722 wrote:

I make a habit of at least asking if someone has everything they need. You never know…

Which is fair. I often don’t have things people would need, or have some other reason that I don’t bother people who look like they’re doing just fine. It doesn’t mean I’m without a “shred of common decency” if I don’t say something. If someone looks like they really need help I can give, that’s different.

Also, I’ve read enough posts here and on the women & bikes FB group where people who are doing just fine and don’t need help get distracted by well-meaning, but constant “you oks…” In fact, some find it patronizing when they’re just working on their bike, doing fine.

Put another way, if you see someone on the sidewalk stopped and tying their shoe, do you offer assistance? Would you want the shoe tier to post that you and 20 others didn’t have a “shred of common decency” for not stopping?

[Crickey7]

I take my cues from the use of the international symbol for needing bicycle assistance.

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[bobco85]

@Drewdane 101714 wrote:

Me: stopped just short of the Intersection of Doom last night to fix a minor mechanical.

You: The approximately ten cyclists who rode right by without so much as a “You OK?” Wow! Self-absorbed much? I hope I never find myself in a situation where I actually need help for real if that’s what I can expect.

The two who displayed a shred of common decency are memorialized in the Found Connections thread.

It depends on your situation. Were you crouched, bike on the ground upside-down, working with various tools trying to fix something with a concerned/confused look on your face, or did it look like you were just adjusting a minor thing like your seat height or getting something out of a pannier/bag?

I admit that I do not always stop and offer help to people stopped on the side of the trail, but I do make a quick assessment of the situation on my approach and tend to ask if everything is okay if it seems like the person might need help.

I suppose the parallel to this situation is if you’re driving and see a person pulled over on the side of the road. If you do not pull over and offer to help them, does it mean that you do not have a shred of common decency?

[worktheweb]

The other side of that coin is that if someone has a flat with no patch kit or tube and no pump, they’re pretty out of luck. While I always ride with all three, from what I’ve seen on the trails, most people are ill prepared for such an issue. If they weren’t, how else would bike stores get so much business fixing flats …

The biggest problem I have is that I frequently don’t have the time to help. In the evening I have to pick up my daughter from day care, and if I’m late, I pay $2 a minute for the extra time. That said, if I have the time, I’ll ask if someone needs help, but it does seem like I’m usually waved off even though I’ve got a trunk rack full of tools and equipment to fix almost anything that might come up. My guess is that most people lack the tools and/or knowledge to be of assistance most of the time, so they keep quiet.

[dasgeh]

@worktheweb 101729 wrote:

The other side of that coin is that if someone has a flat with no patch kit or tube and no pump, they’re pretty out of luck. While I always ride with all three, from what I’ve seen on the trails, most people are ill prepared for such an issue. If they weren’t, how else would bike stores get so much business fixing flats …

Unlike in a car, having a flat and no tools doesn’t mean you’re stuck. It means you walk your bike to the nearest bus stop/bike shop/home and deal. This literally happened to me yesterday – with the bike I ride, I accept I’m not going to be able to fix it on the side of the road, so I don’t carry a kit and if I get a flat, I’m walking to a bus stop. I know where they are on my route. That’s my “toolkit”.

[hozn]

Yeah, exactly. I don’t bother to ask everyone stopped if they have what they need, though I typically do to be nice. … If I am not running late or it is particularly treacherous out.

But I also think that if you aren’t carrying a pump and patch kit then the walk will provide a good opportunity to reflect on that for next time. Or, as in dasgeh’s case, you simply don’t want help because the walk was always the plan if something went wrong.

[DismalScientist]

I don’t carry tools. I only stop if someone has dropped a chain or can’t get their rear wheel back in the dropouts (couldn’t figure out what side of the derailleur the cassette goes).

[dkel]

@dasgeh 101724 wrote:

Also, I’ve read enough posts here and on the women & bikes FB group where people who are doing just fine and don’t need help get distracted by well-meaning, but constant “you oks…” In fact, some find it patronizing when they’re just working on their bike, doing fine.

I would a zillion times rather be considered a jerk for offering to help than for not offering to help. Frankly, the point at which one is considered a nuisance for offering to help is the point at which I start to question whether I’ve been transported to Bizarro world—not a world I want to live in.

[dasgeh]

@dkel 101761 wrote:

I would a zillion times rather be considered a jerk for offering to help than for not offering to help. Frankly, the point at which one is considered a nuisance for offering to help is the point at which I start to question whether I’ve been transported to Bizarro world—not a world I want to live in.

Would you say the same thing about offering to help someone tie their shoe?

[Author]

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