Quacky and Quirky

My commute home on September 18th, or "All You Need to Know about Biking in Berkeley."

I bike to work and I bike home again every day.  I've been doing so for my 3 years in Berkeley so far.  It's a relatively fast, almost free method of commuting that even provides some exercise!

However, there are some not-so-nice things about biking here:  mainly the other bikers.  But I won't rant.  Instead, I'd tell the story of my commute home a few days ago, September 18th, and you can provide your own analysis (if you're into that sort of thing).

I begin every commute home with some downhill and take back roads to avoid traffic, which is a problem of its own, but today we're focused on non-cars.  After a couple miles I nominally take a bike trail, which is great when half of it isn't under construction.  But the worst part is they don't work on contiguous blocks...they randomly choose non-adjacent stretches to close.  One by one they fall, but none re-open...

Most bikers these days just avoid the mess of construction fences by taking the road (a "bicycle boulevard,"whatever that means) next to the bike trail.

And that brings us to the good part.

I approach a stoplight.  It's red, and there are a total of five bikes (including me).  I'm not European, so five bikes at one stoplight is a lot!  

The light turns green, and we're off.  Pretty soon it's evident that biker #1 (we'll call him "Lance Failstrong") doesn't appreciate the pace of the two bikers in front of him, so he weaves into the pedestrian lane (a fenced-off section of the roadside).  

But alas, he is soon caught by the even-slower biker #4 (let's call him "Justin Timefordinner").  But it's ok, he knows what to do.  At the next break in the fence, he weaves back into the bike lane, unfortunately taking the #3 position he'd previously occupied.  Unsatisfied, after the next car passes, he weaves into the traffic lane, pedaling furiously on his road bike and biker shoes.  

The effort pays off, when he shows up bikers #2 and #3 ("Classic Mike" and "Classic Bob") to take the prized first position.

The victory is short-lived.  A mere hundred feet ahead, a red light looms.  Forced to stop by the perpendicular stream of traffic, he is joined a few seconds later by Justin, still in the pedestrian lane.

After a short wait, we're off again.  Now Lance sees something he doesn't like: parked cars straight ahead!  By now he's got it, though.  A quick weave brings him onto the bike trail, which is actually open on this block.  Disaster soon strikes as a previously unknown biker #6 blocks the way!  Another quick weave into the pedestrian lane brings him swooping by a pedestrian, who seems temporarily flustered by the orange racer that has just passed in front of her face.

Meanwhile, 30 feet behind, Mike, Bob, and I are continuing our bland straight-line trek down the road.

A stop sign looms ahead.

Although the car next to us comes to an approximate stop, such things are troublesome for bikers.  Mike and Bob continue without missing a beat.  

Unfortunately, they had failed to notice the pedestrian simultaneously entering the intersection.  Like all bay area pedestrians, he doesn't trouble himself with things like "looking both ways" or "waiting for large metal objects traveling at high speed to pass before walking onto the street."  He does seem a bit bothered that two such objects are on an immediate collision course, so he does grudgingly halt to let them pass while "thanking" them for the "nice stop."  

Unphased, they continue the trek.

I eventually made it home to my lovely wife and adorable son.

So if you're still reading, you're either supposed to be working on something else or you found my story entertaining.  This particular commute stuck out to me as a story because it represents well the challenges of practical Berkeley life.  The city is known for "branching out" and "breaking norms," to put it mildly, which is sometimes ok.  But different isn't always better!  Sometimes "norms" are in place for a reason, and "branching out" of current traffic laws isn't a great way to experiment.
This is an area I struggle with because I, like everyone else, am tantalized by the thought of going whichever way I want and putting aside the thought of what others are doing and what is right.  This is where the issue of authority comes in:

Romans13:1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

This story was about rebellion against traffic laws and common road courtesy.  But the bigger issue is that all of us sinners are in rebellion against God as long as we live in sin and refuse to acknowledge Him.  There are consequences for rebellion that play out in every part of life (even on the road home), so let us consider wisely where we place our trust!