A lesson for our girls

We had gorgeous weather this weekend. Sunny with just a slight chill in the air. We took advantage of it and spent quite a bit of time outside, first on Saturday playing in our cul-de-sac, then lunch outside, and ended with time at the playground. We woke up on Sunday to a cloudless sky and even though I had previously said I didn't want to do anything all day I knew immediately that we had to get out of the house, even if it was only for an hour or so. After initially suggesting that we take the girls on a neighborhood bike ride, I got the crazy idea to take the girls and their bikes to the W&OD trail. There are a couple of entrances right by our house, so we packed up the girls and their bikes in the car and drove to the one we pass on the way to work every day. The girls were overly excited about going to a special bike trail and snapped on their helmets while we were still in the car. 

As we were walking to the trail, we explained to Stasa how the trail worked. That she would need to stay on her side of the yellow line and to watch out for all of the other people riding and walking and running. She and I started off and BAM she was yards ahead of me in no time. Tom was pushing Lexi on her trike and as slow as I was they were much much slower. We finally switched it up because there was no way I could keep up with Stasa. 

There were a TON of people on the trail. People walking, some jogging, a few pushing kids in strollers, and a lot a lot a lot of cyclists. This was a very different biking experience for Stasa since she's only ever rode her bike in our cul-de-sac and the only other people there are a handful of kids riding at her same pace. Tom and I reminded Stasa to stay on her side of the yellow line and to just keep pedaling even as people pass her. 

I've got more opinions than most on bike etiquette. And I don't even have a bike! But I do drive by the W&OD trail nearly every day and it crosses one of the roads I drive down. Warning: here's where I get a little annoyed. When you're on a bike and actually riding it you're considered a vehicle. Which means that you have to obey traffic laws, such as STOPPING when you have a STOP SIGN. So where that trail crosses the road I drive on there are stop signs on both sides for the people on the trail, not for the vehicles on the road. No exaggeration, every single day there are a ton of cyclists who blow by the stop sign to cross the road and cause cars to stop short to avoid hitting them. 

All of that said, I was still surprised at the number of cyclists on the trail who were outright rude. I would say about half of the cyclists actually said "passing" or "on your left" as they came up behind us on the trail. There were a couple who said nothing, but instead rang a little bell. Then there was the other half who said nothing at all and just whipped by us, sometimes causing Stasa to stop short. Every time that happened, we explained, quite loudly, to Stasa that when you pass someone on a road or trail you should say "passing." 

There were definitely times when we had to remind Stasa to stay on her side of the yellow line and if possible to stay as close to the grass side as possible. For the most part she did a great job, especially for her first time on a real bike trail. Yet there were still a handful of people who either made some nasty comment or sound when they passed her or shot me a dirty look as they watched me push Lexi on her trike. And for all of those rude people, there were maybe another handful who actually said hi to the girls or waved and smiled to them. 

On the one hand I get it. These cyclists are out to get exercise or practice their sport and don't want the hassle of having to slow down or weave around people. But maybe they failed to realize that the W&OD is technically a PUBLIC park and everyone from walkers to cyclists are encouraged to use it. There were older folks riding at a glacial pace and I'm sure those other cyclists were annoyed by them, too, which again is crazy. It's a public trail. What do those cyclists expect? 

So this was a lesson for the girls - although really for Stasa since she can ride on her own. We talked with her about the importance of bike etiquette, specifically about the importance of staying on your side of the "road," not stopping short, and letting people know when you're coming up behind and passing them. I'm pretty sure she got it because on the ride back to the car we passed a group of cyclists resting on a bench and Stasa announced "passing" to them. They broke out laughing and waved to her. 

I'm pretty sure we'll hit the W&OD again for another bike ride and we'll keep reminding Stasa about the rules of the road. Unfortunately I'm sure this won't be the only time the girls experience rudeness, but Tom and I will continue to take advantage of the situation to teach them and talk to them about what happened. 

I'm sure a lot of you think I'm blowing this out of proportion, but like I said before cyclists not following vehicle laws drives me bonkers. So you can imagine that cyclists (or anyone) who are rude to my kids will make me even crazier. At least we got out of the house and the girls were exhausted at the end of the ride. I think it was the longest amount of time Stasa had been on her bike because she usually rides a few loops around the cul-de-sac, hops off, plays with something, then hops back on. Rinse and repeat. It also made me want to get bikes (and bike trailers) for me and Tom. I can't wait until we can all go on a family bike ride together.