I♥Biking: Running into friends

This post over on Family Ride recently reminded me of one of the many reasons I love biking: meeting friends along the way. It doesn't happen every time I get on my bike, but it sure happens a lot. I've run into friends along the seawall, at intersections, as I rode past the Mount Pleasant Family Centre & while locking up my bike at my destination. Can't say that ever happens when I'm driving. & while riding a bike, it just seems so much easier to stop for a minute to chat.

Not having a cage of steel & glass around me helps immensely, I'm sure. Driving seems to me to be an inherently isolating activity. I think that's why I see so many drivers doing really selfish & dangerous things like running red lights, speeding, driving too close to cyclists or pedestrians. In a vehicle, I feel protected & very separate from the rest of the world. I can't hear the people walking in the crosswalk or the ones in the other cars. I can't even make eye contact as easily with all the glass & potential glare in the way.

I much prefer the 360 degree view I have on my bike. I love how easy it is to brake & pull up onto the sidewalk to say hello to someone. Cycling is social in a way that driving isn't.
 

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