For me, however, they are suffering the lycra equivalent of Stockholm syndrome.įor what if the road is not democratic and egalitarian? I don't deny that driver-cyclist interactions are very often co-operative, respectful and convivial.īut all too often we see other kinds of relations played out, based on hierarchy, marginalisation, othering, domination, exclusion, intimidation and violence. One explanation is that these debates go on in a public sphere subject to a simplex version of philosophical liberalism wherein all things must be treated as equal.Īs Patrick Stokes argues for hierarchies of racial difference, attributing an abstract equality to human beings tends to erase real differences in power and privilege. Why does the metaphor of equal reciprocity so powerfully organise our thinking about a relationship that is so clearly asymmetrical? Locked into a way of thinking about equality The idea that the space someone's car occupies on the road is personal space, where the car is treated as a proxy body with its own right not to be molested, shows just how far this notion of reciprocity has gone. Yet the wording, as well as the fines imposed, suggests cyclists have as much power to disrespect drivers' space as vice versa. Most cyclists hardly need to be reminded to respect the space of a two-tonne vehicle travelling at 80 kilometres per hour just centimetres from their elbow. We should all respect each other's space and ensure that everyone stays safe." "Drivers, bicycle riders and pedestrians all need to Go Together safely. Any public conversation about on-road cycling in Australia seems to have only one metaphor for the relationship between drivers and cyclists: equal reciprocity.Īn utterance like, "drivers must respect cyclists' space on the road", must inevitably be followed by something like, "for their part, cyclists must ride responsibly and obey the road rules".įor instance, the campaign promoting a new road safety law in New South Wales tells us:
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