Ten Percent

It’s another beautiful,  sunny summer’s  morning as I mount my bike. Once on the main road it is a short cycle to the first downhill section. Freewheel for almost a mile, enjoying the speed and lack of effort. Soon it is time to push up the first hill then a downhill glide and finally the last hill up. From here on it gets busier – cars, lorries, pedestrians and fellow cyclists. All competing for the same piece of tarmac, all competing for my attention. After two more freewheel sections I am done. Safely arrived at the office once more.

As regular readers of my blog may recall, I started cycling to work last month. It has been an enjoyable and educative experience. I have enjoyed the flat and downhill sections and appreciate the exercise I am getting when crunching down through the gears and pedalling, and puffing, up the hills.

I have also seen a couple of examples of what I will describe as poor road use. The driver that pulls out without seeing me and my reflective top, the pedestrian crossing the road without looking, deaf to my cycle bell, and the cyclists casually riding through red lights.

All too often we can waste time on the things that go wrong in life. The fact is that no more than ten percent of my trips have been affected by poor road users. In contrast, each day drivers pass me with care and consideration, many cyclists use the road responsibly, and the majority of pedestrians wait for the lights to change before crossing. I have had snatched conversations with fellow cyclists, pleasant interactions with drivers and pedestrians. Edinburgh is, year on year, becoming a more cycle-friendly and cycle-populated space. None of the above doesn’t negate from the fact you have to watch out for the ten percent, after all a confrontation with half a ton of metal moving at speed will not end well. It is a matter of perspective.

And I feel in a  privileged position using the roads and pavements of Edinburgh as a driver, pedestrian, cyclist and bus passenger. Seeing the same space through different lenses. It is a rare thing, to be able to see things from multiple points of view. So much media and social media is based on disagreement, on how one person’s opinion is superior to the next. We are forgetting how to hear another opinion, to disagree with someone with civility, with a sense of calm. And so I revel in my ability to see these spaces as I do, knowing how rare it is.

And so to all those careful and considerate road users I say thank you. You have made my first month of cycling very pleasant. And let’s all remember to celebrate the ninety percent of life.