ROAD-SHARING: THROUGH ROUGH THOROUGHFARES
Istarted driving vehicles with four wheels even before I hit the minimum age to legally do so. And honestly, I have been hating on motorcycles through more than half of that timeline. However, I have made a substantial switch in recent years. I am now a proud motorcycle owner and I enjoy every instance that I swing my leg over my two-wheeled machine, void of the coziness and safety that roof, windows, doors, and air-conditioning bring. As I always say in jest – the more I am closer to danger, the more I feel alive.
But the ecstatic feeling of freedom when riding is not the only thing I learned from that switch. The more I ride within the city, the more I understand the unheard story of those riding on two wheels.
I was wrong. I now know that hating on riders filtering in between lanes is uncalled for. I now know that hating on bicycles outside of bike lanes is a tout of that privilege that I usually enjoy.
If anything, riders should be allowed to filter without any level of contempt from vehicle drivers. Cyclists who are braving the dismal parts of EDSA bike lanes should be given leeway. Even pedestrians who are just trying to cross a street should be given enough time. If only cooler heads will prevail, there isn’t going to be a problem at all.
No, I am not denying that there are some motorcycle riders who are more careless than the rest. Heck, I was a victim of hit-and-run riders, too, and admittedly, there are some that would rather be called kamote riders than face the consequences of their mistakes.
But a few rotten apples don’t define the entire harvest. The fault of some isn’t the fault of the many. I’m not sure about you but I was taught that sweeping generalizations shouldn’t have a place in the world.
Truth is, we all just want to get to places we need to be. But given the circumstances, it seems like every commute is a battle, that every instance behind the wheel – or a handlebar – is a chore. That feeling’s natural, given the non-ideal situation of public roads.
I will not present myself as a saint that doesn’t flip whenever I see an e-bike lazily cruising through a major thoroughfare, or when a motorcycle haphazardly weaves through lanes. Or when a cyclist enters my lane out of the blue because he had to dodge a pothole.
Just like most of you, I, too, sometimes feel that these vehicles belong somewhere else.
But every time I feel that surge of annoyance creeping through my nerves, I stop, breathe, and think for a good minute. There are reasons why these people are on the road and in most cases, we won’t ever know those reasons. They might be on their way to the nearest supermarket to buy milk for their infant child, or they might be delivering essential items that were ordered online.
Whatever the reason is, empathy goes a long way. Drivers of cars should let motorcycles filter through lanes. With the absence of a bike lane, make sure to steer clear of cyclists when driving. Riders, on the other hand, should never take bike lanes and walkways no matter how tempting. We all can co-exist peacefully on the road as long as we have the right mindset.
Remember, road use isn’t a right, it’s a privilege—something that you aren’t entitled to. Whether you’re an owner of a four-wheeled vehicle or an electric scooter, it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right. In these adverse times, we all just need to go somewhere as safe as we can. All we need to do – or at least what your moral compass should tell us to do – is to share the road.
Our daily drives and rides are already rough as they are right now. Let’s not make our plight even harder for everyone we share the roads with. Let’s go through these rough thoroughfares together.