Deathtrap Miami

Biking in Miami has it's charm and horror, mostly horror. You are constantly degraded and dehumanized. You are run off the street and roads without a second thought. Car will actively charge at you and swerve around at the last moment because it is "funny". I hate playing the victim card, so I won't, and when I started cycling I made it a point to learn and be fluent in all the road rules so I wont be "that cyclist" that I hear of, oh so often in horror stories, told by my acquaintances. Even so, knowing all the rules and playing by them can't take into account the sheer volume of ignorance and petty hatred the drivers of Miami have for anyone on a bike.

Always handy to have drink mix supplies after a hard ride

Just today on a typical commute I watched in horror as an elderly man on a bike was cutoff and nearly crushed by woman driving an SUV, unwilling to wait to make the turn into her gated community. I asked if he was alright, which he nodded and continued forth. As I continued I was honked at by several impatient drivers that cut me off to accelerate to the stop light. Let that sink in, they sped past me, wielding their large vehicles dangerously close to mine, so they could stop just a couple hundred feet ahead of me. Needless to say I easily caught up and just filtered past them. At night, I fear the sidewalk, unable to see what is in front of me due to low lighting that even my lights cannot fully compensate for, or the streets where many DUI their way home, many do not have time for my "trespass".

On the ride home from work I tried in vain to signal a left turn, the bane of every cyclist that must make one in Miami (God forbid you signal while driving, good luck merging) until I just had to force the issue when car after car just sped past and I was about to miss my turn. Considering all other options (most of which where just as dangerous) I made the gamble to cross over, I looked, there was another car still coming, I dropped gears and dashed to the center turn lane. Making my move into my neighborhood. Nothing but nerves and dare I say luck saved me today. This move met with many a hollering and a gnashing of all the teeth... all of them.

I find that all too often when I am locking my Espree I get comment after comment on how crazy or stupid I am for cycling. I try to keep it a light tone and make it a slight lesson by injecting things like "well I pay the same taxes too" or "It is illegal for me to be on the sidewalk", in which I get mostly false smiles or blank stares. Hopefully I can change some minds, one by one. Until Next time!

-Carlos