The cabbies were again seemingly non-existent this morning, probably due to an large increase in their morning rides.
And how about you guys walking? At least it's not raining. Or snowing. Or sleeting.
And all y'all biking the striking? How is that going?
And now, for a guest blog! Woohoo!
"So, I'm hoofing it to work this morning again, trying to be positive about my forced 1.5 mile walk, when, in the middle of the crowded Market Street sidewalk....
BOOM! A guy on a bike plows into me! Hits me pretty hard.
I, of course, yell, "Hey, get off the damn sidewalk!" He starts screaming at me that I can't be upset since he (apparently) said "Excuse Me" before plowing into me.
I am so f'ing sick and tired of bikers on the damn sidewalk. It's one thing when it's a relatively quiet street at an off-hour, when the person is trying to be polite. It's still not really okay (since it's rude and illegal), but I'm not going to raise a fuss. It's another thing to do it during AM rush hour, on MARKET Street, when the sidewalk is packed because SEPTA is on STRIKE. And it's an even bigger thing to think that it's no-big-deal to HIT a PEDESTRIAN. He was so f'ing cavalier about the whole thing, like he was just some guy who bumped his shoulder into mine. No, buddy, you HIT me with your BIKE, going at a rather brisk clip!
I'm so sick of this shit. First K. (although I suppose she wasn't technically on a sidewalk). The guy who ended up DEAD... The police should be f'ing ticketing every one of these assholes who refuses to follow the law by riding in the street.
What the hell can we do to stop this? I'm all for bikes in the city. I really am. I want more bike lanes and I want tickets for cars who don't respect bikers. But I also want the bikers off the f'ing sidewalks, which are for PEDESTRIANS. Just like it's no real contest between a bike and a car (the car always wins), it's no real contest between a person and a bike. The dead guy from two weeks ago should have taught us that."
The SEPTA strike is hard for us all. Everyone has been affected, whether they ride SEPTA frequently, occasionally, or not at all. Will ticketing help? They've tried it already in DC. They've also ticketed jaywalkers. So, is more policing the answer?
Perhaps it is.
But perhaps, it's deeper than that. I've written about it before. What we need more of in this city is brotherly love. We can all rally around the Phils, pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, all of us. But once we get onto the road, it's full-on warfare. Drivers, you need to share the road with the cyclists. They're here and they're not going anywhere. Cabbies, you're the same as drivers, so you pay attention too. Cyclists, you have a few bike lanes. They are yours and only yours. Please use them. The sidewalks are for pedestrians. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia said it themselves: Bicyclists are not pedestrians with two wheels.
And hey, pedestrians? Get off your damn phone. And just so y'all don't think i'm a hypocrite, I hereby pledge to stop tweeting while walking.
Now, even more so than before, we all need to stop being angry and running around like a bunch of Mac and Charlies. The need for everyone to coexist in the city is becoming greater by the day. These factions we've created as a society, based on our commuting preferences, have completely clouded our judgments as a whole.
The strike will undoubtedly get worse before it gets any better. You don't have to sing Kumbaya with each other, but it'd be nice to be nice.
"Fail Rail" by brhefele
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