GUEST POST: Take the Lane, the Karate Kid Would Do It!

(this is a guest post from David Pulsipher, CICLE Steering Committee member, Bikerowave Volunteer, and urban planner at Alta Planning)

I love when different parts of my world collide. The other night a favorite movie reminded me an important lesson about riding your bike in the city, and I had to share it.

Often, my wife and I like to enjoy a little bit of mindless television while we eat dinner. Searching for something to catch our attention, I found refuge in a childhood (and present-day) favorite, the Karate Kid.

My connection to the Karate Kid runs deeper than this underdog, poor-kid-gets-the-rich-girl tale. When he was in his adolescence, he was uprooted from New Jersey to California – and so was I! Daniel loved riding his bike – for transportation! And so do I!

Daniel gets in trouble when he doesn’t take the lane on his ride home from dinner. Instead, he lets the Kobra Kai gang run him off the road which then sends him into his blabbering, teary rant about how he “hates his bike.” What treachery!

Fastforward to the end of the movie – the ultimate movie climax. The swarthy LaRusso against Nazi-poster boy Lawrence. The final showdown is as much a social commentary on class struggle as it is a good/evil dialectic. ; )

To refresh your memory on the intricacies of the final fight, Daniel jumps to a quick two point lead (in a match that’s best of three). Predictably, Johnny mounts a comeback, and in the midst of it (wisely) his sensei calls for a timeout and we get the following dialogue:

Sensei – (wiping the blood away from his nose with his thumb) Sweep the leg
Johnny – (stares, frightened)
Sensei – Do you have a problem with that?
Johnny – No sensei
Sensei – No mercy

Johnny was totally scared, and on the precipice of losing. With his crazy, merciless sensei’s advice, he delivers a stunning blow by sweeping Daniel’s leg with a hard kick, and then kicking him in the face while he loses balance.

Johnny then looks over at his sensei who sternly nods his head with approval.

SWEEP THE LEG!
TAKE THE LANE!

In life, there are times when we are scared, frightened, or aren’t sure how to proceed. In those instances, it is often helpful to take advice from people who’ve trodden the path before us.

By following the advice of Sensei Kreese, Johnny scored an awesome point to even up the match (this was one move before his warning for illegal contact to the knee). Despite trusting in his sensei’s advice to get him that far – Johnny was reticent to sweep the leg when he was scared and the pressure was on.

As bicyclists, there are times when we need to take the lane. It may be scary. We may be uncertain, but it is the right thing to do. We are the proverbial Johnny. Scared, helpless. Fortunately there is advice to help us navigate these perilous waters.

When we ride too close to the curb in situations where there isn’t enough room for a car to safely pass, we are allowing drivers make a decision that doesn’t need to be made. When we don’t take the lane, we are letting them make the judgment call about whether or not there’s too much, or too little space. Odds are, the person in the car has a much higher threshold as to what “uncomfortably close” is than you on your bike.

They may not like it, but when you take the lane, they have two options. Pass you, or follow you. Some will follow you, but eventually they’ll get impatient and look for an opportunity to pass you. I’ve learned that you aren’t doing the cars any favors by riding uncomfortably close to the curb or parked cars. Either they’ll come too close to you as they pass, or they’ll get confused and most likely honk. I say, don’t put them in a decision to make that judgment. By taking the lane, you are making them make the safest decision possible.

I understand the reticence to take the lane. I still get a little ancy about it every now and again. However, when I position myself correctly on the road, it makes for a more pleasant experience. No mercy.

That being said, I also like being a courteous user of the road. I don’t think its necessary to take the lane at all times, in fact… by careful route selection you often avoid having to take the lane.

But when you need to… don’t be reluctant to pull it out of your bag of tricks.

In life we all have our Daniel LaRussos. Situations where we should come off victorious, especially at the advice of those who have a lot of wisdom to share. In the real world, we all know Johnny should’ve “waxed” Daniel, just like he did when they first met on the beach and Daniel made a cowardly attempt at chivalry. You know what chivalry on the road gets you? A broken hip. When it comes to taking the lane – I say we err on the side of No Mercy.