The bike lane debate rages on–as do the comments on social media. I’ve written before about some of the myths spread by people who oppose bike lanes–we don’t pay taxes, we don’t have jobs, we are all part of some communist scheme to get everyone to eat bugs or something. But one of the things I keep seeing is this reference to cyclists, or cycling advocates, as “bikers.”
Apart from the fact that the word biker immediately conjures up an image of a dude in leather riding a chopper, and there’s nothing wrong with these chaps (see what I did there), I consider myself a cyclist–or bike rider.
And it’s not just a semantic thing–it’s because some of these comments continue to refer to all cyclists as “bikers.” As if we are some big, faceless entity who don’t have cars (or jobs, or pay taxes, or want everyone to eat said bugs) and whose entire existence revolves around bikes. There’s also this recurring theme in the comments that everyone protesting in Toronto is being paid, but that’s a whole other matzo ball.
Riding in Toronto
I love bikes. I’ve been riding and racing for decades. I also own a car and have been driving since I was able to (I grew up in the country). But I’ve been riding for just as long, too–and whenever I can, I use my bike, walk or take transit. And btw, I also have a job (as you can see, dear Canadian Cycling Magazine reader) but my life isn’t always defined by cycling–which is part of this “biker” reference, making cyclists sound like some weird cult. And I don’t eat bugs, either. At least not knowingly.
Driving has always sucked in the city. Sure, maybe it does more now—but there are also a lot more people. More construction. But this idea that before the bike lanes, getting around Toronto was Xanadu just ain’t true.
9 stupid bike lane comments, debunked
In recent years here in Canada, there seems to be more of an us-versus-them sentiment that we used to see more often south of the border. And bike lanes have become part of that fight. What should be a discussion about how we get around our cities has turned into something much more personal, with people increasingly treating cyclists as some kind of opposing tribe.
The ever-growing schism
Back to the us-versus-them thing. Sometimes I see my friends who advocate for cycling use the word carbrain–referencing the idea of cities or towns being car-centric. I don’t love the term–or labelling anyone against cycling infrastructure, in the same way I don’t like us all being labelled “bikers.” But there’s definitely some truth to this. Where my parents live, north of the city, you have to hit the pedestrian button to cross the street, as opposed to it just going on its own. So when you approach an intersection, you need to legit sprint to hit the button or you won’t get the signal.
Toronto bike lane memorial honours 32 people killed on 3 major streets
But back to these comments. Man, the vitriol is ramping up. I’m used to the homophobic slurs, the claims that we are all in Lycra and racing the Tour de France, that we are commies, that we’re part of some globalist agenda, all this stuff. You become sort of numb to this shit, eventually.
Some of these damn comments, man
Today, however, I saw a just delightful gentleman in the comments post a photo of a ghost bike, saying that this was his “favourite kind of cyclist.” Pardon? It’s one thing to have an opinion about cyclists. It’s another to actually fucking want them dead. (Also, the bike is a memorial to someone’s father, mother, brother, sister, kid. Like, what?)
Cyclists in Toronto come from all walks of life and socioeconomic backgrounds. Some wear Lycra, sure. (Although there’s at least one here that’s done the Tour de France, but that’s it.) Lots don’t wear Lycra. Some use cycling for exercise, whether for competition or just fresh air. Some use it as a way to get to work, school or run errands. The point is, we ain’t all the same.
But now, we are united in our fight to keep valuable cycling infrastructure that protects riders and vulnerable road users.
To just label us as “bikers” makes us sound like we are all just some kind of anonymous statistic. Which, by the way, is the very thing we are all trying to make sure we don’t become every time we ride.