Yesterday, this article caught my attention.
Since 2010, cycling fatalities have been on the rise as driver and passenger fatalities have reached all-time lows. During the decade, the number of cyclists has increased. So has the number of motor vehicles on the road. Those trends, in themselves, may not be considered causes in the increased number of cyclist deaths.
One factor, I believe, is that drivers are more distracted: If I had a nickel for every time I saw someone looking at a screen instead of the street, I could rescue Mavic. I have also experienced increasing hostilty from drivers, who sometimes resent cyclists whom they see as privileged, entitled or any other negative stereotype you've heard about milennials. (All right, I still don't see what's the big deal about avocado toast.) Moreover, at the risk of seeming as if I'm stereotyping, I think that the rise of Uber, Lyft and other ride-share companies has put more reckless or simply bad drivers, and unsafe cars, on the road.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most streets have been blissfully free of traffic. So, it will be interesting to see how statistics from March and April of this year compare with the same months of recent years. Will there be fewer injuries and fatalities? And, if there are, will the unfortunate "normal" levels return once traffic becomes as dense as it was before the shutdowns?
Then again, I wonder whether traffic will return to previous levels. Some companies might decide that people who are working from home can continue to do so--or that they don't need those employees after all. If that happens, I hope all of those newly-displaced workers don't become Uber or Lyft drivers!
Since 2010, cycling fatalities have been on the rise as driver and passenger fatalities have reached all-time lows. During the decade, the number of cyclists has increased. So has the number of motor vehicles on the road. Those trends, in themselves, may not be considered causes in the increased number of cyclist deaths.
One factor, I believe, is that drivers are more distracted: If I had a nickel for every time I saw someone looking at a screen instead of the street, I could rescue Mavic. I have also experienced increasing hostilty from drivers, who sometimes resent cyclists whom they see as privileged, entitled or any other negative stereotype you've heard about milennials. (All right, I still don't see what's the big deal about avocado toast.) Moreover, at the risk of seeming as if I'm stereotyping, I think that the rise of Uber, Lyft and other ride-share companies has put more reckless or simply bad drivers, and unsafe cars, on the road.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most streets have been blissfully free of traffic. So, it will be interesting to see how statistics from March and April of this year compare with the same months of recent years. Will there be fewer injuries and fatalities? And, if there are, will the unfortunate "normal" levels return once traffic becomes as dense as it was before the shutdowns?
Then again, I wonder whether traffic will return to previous levels. Some companies might decide that people who are working from home can continue to do so--or that they don't need those employees after all. If that happens, I hope all of those newly-displaced workers don't become Uber or Lyft drivers!
For sure, the workers landscape will look different than before this spring. And many companies could save money by offering a home office...It's too early to guess how all this will work out.
ReplyDeleteI had an eye opening experience on Mother's Day. I'm guessing you're seeing the same thing in NYC. I went with my son driving to get take-out for dinner. On a normally quiet Sunday evening in downtown where it's easy to park, we found ourselves one of many drivers on a crowded street (we illegally parked, just hanging until our phone rang) full of delivery drivers waiting for their own food. We patronized a restaurant that required us to go inside two doors to grab your food purchase from a table, sign the CC receipt, whereas the neighboring restaurant placed their items on an sidewalk table. My son commented, "I wonder if going forward, restaurant reviews will be based on ease of pickup." We certainly thought about how uncomfortable it was retrieving our dinner...