I am not a cyclist, I am a human being.

When I dress in lycra and ride my bike, am I no longer human? Do I no longer matter? Am I now just an inconvenience? Am I now JUST A CYCLIST! THINK. It’s time to stop labeling people according to the mode of transport they occupy, cyclist, motorist, we are all human, we are all lives. SIMPLE. And while we’re at it, it’s time to do away with the idea that there’s some sort of imaginary transportation food chain that places the car above the bicycle. All modes of transport are equal, the road doesn’t belong to the car, the truck, the bus or the bike, it belongs to everyone. Why is the car better than the bike? Because it’s faster? Because it costs more money? Seriously! “Oh, look at me, look how much my car cost, look how fast it goes, I have progressed. I have moved further up the evolutionary ladder than you on your cheap slow bicycle” WAKE UP PEOPLE! It’s just a car. (For the record I have no hatred of cars, I love my car, just not as much as my bike) Without wanting to sound too much like a hippy, we are all in this together, we all want to get where we are going and we all want to get there alive. Of course not all motorists are psychopathic idiots, there are just as many nutters on two wheels, 20 years commuting in London as proved this. Thing is, as we all know, a moment of madness behind the handlebars causes far less damage than a flash of anger behind the steering wheel. The automobile has huge power, with the simple press of a foot and the turn of a wheel, it becomes, and without wanting to over sensationalize it, a deadly weapon, and MUST be treated with respect. What did Ben Parker say. “With great power comes great responsibility’. And yes of course ‘people riding bikes’ are no saints, if you want respect, if you don’t want to anger ‘people driving cars’ then obey the rules of the road. Simple things, signal, stop on red, be courteous, SHARE the road. Do the right thing! The best way to not get stung is not to anger the wasp, don’t be a muppet, mounting pavements, jumping red lights, especially when riding through the city, if you want respect, earn it. So my message to everyone is SLOW down, to the ‘people driving cars’, when you see that ‘person riding a bike’, THINK before you instantly head for the accelerator to pass them, is it really safe? Will a few seconds on your journey really matter? Take a deep breath, think of their parents, their children, their friends, think of them as a person not an object, then pass when it’s safe. Next time you are in a line of traffic trapped behind a car does the red mist fall, no, there’s no difference between a car and a bicycle, all have equal billing and an equal right, we are all lives. Thanks for reading, and welcome to my new Blog, which will usually be a little more light-hearted, just wanted to get this off my chest. Simon Warren