Recently, I had to go from home in Arlington to Leesburg, Virginia for work, and since it’s a bit too far to bike in one day – and not Metro accessible – I zipped a Honda Civic ZipCar.
As someone who does not own a car, nor spends much time in one, I felt like a fish-out-of-water! It gave me the opportunity to think about the differences between biking and driving for transportation:
The car was really low to the ground! Sitting in the car put my eye level much, much lower than when I am on my bike. I had a hard time getting used to that. It was disconcerting on roads I know from my bike perspective, but once I got on the highways, it became less noticeable. I prefer my higher bicycling vantage point – it feels a bit safer to be able to see what’s going on around me from that height. (I guess this is why people buy huge SUVs.)
The Honda Civic is not a make and model I’ve driven before, and I felt awkward and uncomfortable in it, not knowing where everything was located on the dashboard, and unsure how to navigate the buttons on the steering wheel. When I drove a car in the early 1990s, it was a lovely 1982 two-door Volvo with large windows and a pretty simple dashboard. Anything manufactured in the last 5-10 years, therefore, is “newfangled” technology to me!
But it made me think of a comment by a bike shop owner in a Washington Post article recently, that Capital Bikeshare riders are “the most inexperienced riders emulating more experienced riders.”
So, are ZipCar drivers the most inexperienced drivers because they are assumed to not own cars, and therefore don’t drive very often, so they aren’t very good at it? It is easy to see how that would be. Even if you drive all the time, getting behind the wheel of a rental car on vacation often means you are driving an unfamiliar car, and therefore can’t be assumed to be a “good” driver, no matter how experienced. It’s basically the same as me getting on a different bike – I know the basic mechanics, but it still reacts differently than what I am used to.
My biggest issue with the Civic was the lack of visibility I had, and frankly, any of the cars I’ve recently zipped. The windows have apparently shrunk since the 1980s. As cars become sleeker, more streamlined, and theoretically more safe (airbags everywhere!), the windows have
become mere suggestions. I realized that the visibility I have as a cyclist, being able to see all around me, is far preferable to glancing over my left shoulder, seeing a hunk of black plastic, hoping that there wasn’t a car behind said hunk of plastic, and changing lanes. No wonder drivers drive aggressively – they can’t see enough! This was not a problem in my Volvo – the windows were huge! Of course, one could argue that it didn’t have air bags either, but hey, it was a Volvo, so it was a steel box.
The back seat headrests took up half the back window. If I owned the car, these would come out.
The headrest was so uncomfortable! The seat let me sit back, but the headrest pushed my head really far forward. I couldn’t adjust it to be in a better spot. Terrible posture, and so uncomfortable. No wonder people who commute are tense and crabby when they get to work – not only have they been sitting in terrible traffic, their bodies are being contorted in weird ways.
It was with a huge sigh of relief that I returned the Zipcar. Jumping on my bike later felt as comfortable as my favorite tee shirt. Although I am now feeling a bit nostalgic for my old Volvo (man I loved that car), based on my experience today, I can reaffirm my preference for bicycle-as-transportation. It just feels comfortable.
I imagine that this is what drivers feel like when asked to take an alternative mode of transit – “Oh thank goodness that was over! I am so much more comfortable in my car.” We all know that it is good to break out of one’s comfort zone, and that is the only way to grow and change. We also know that many people are afraid of change, and afraid to move outside of their comfort zones.
So how do industries that offer transportation options to take an experience like this and apply it?
Do we make subways and buses more “comfortable,” adding music, cushy seats, and that “new car” scent? Or is comfort beyond physical attributes? Does it mean seats with higher backs that separate us more, rather than the long benches on some old New York subway cars? Does it mean individual controls on the backs of each bus seat, like an airplane, so you don’t have to reach across strangers to indicate a stop? Or does it mean instructions and communications on transit that assume the riders are smarter than we think, and doesn’t talk down to them?
What would make transit more comfortable to you?
This article was adapted from the author’s tinlizzieridesagain website.
Main photo by Ian Collins. Other photos by Elizabeth Floyd.