The other day, when I was riding my bike to the bank, I found myself going the wrong way on a one-way street with cars parked on both sides (it was the street the bank was on, I had little choice). In an effort not to get killed or cause a multi-prius pileup, I swerved onto the sidewalk. I safely and slowly rode on the sidewalk for two blocks, before a contingent of pedestrians formed a human chain to force me off the sidewalk, and into oncoming traffic. Over the screeching of my brakes and my shrill cries of “ohmygodohmygodohmygod,” I think I heard one of the evil pedestrians say, “You have to obey the rules too, you know!” So yeah, these people I didn’t know were willing to see me splattered across a windshield because they didn’t want to share the concrete with me. The twist is that according to DC law, unless you’re downtown (as in the White House area), you’re allowed to bike on the sidewalk.

Like, why do people hate bikes? They are not obtrusive. Bicycle riders know that they are not encased in a ton of metal with side-curtain airbags, and are therefore more cautious and more likely to get out of the way of motor vehicles. Cyclists also walk, from time to time, and understand the needs of the pedestrian. Take the goofy helmet off, and cyclists are just like any other person trying to get from point A to point B. Rolling through a stop sign on a bike does not equal rolling through a stop sign in a car. If you’re on a bike you can easily swerve or break quickly if an iPod-wearing walker distracted by the latest Imogen Heap darts out into the crosswalk. Cars, not so much. And even if a bike couldn’t stop, and you bumped the pedestrian, the worst they’ll say is, “Ow, you squinged my toe.” If it’s a car doing the bumping, they’ll say, “Ow, my femur and tibia are horribly mangled.”

Like so many things, I understand that there is widespread fear and dislike, but I don’t understand why.