On Cars and Driving

So we've got some "Beaumont" weather up here in Boulder.  At least the rain part feels very Beaumont.  I've been using Josh's car today to run a few errands around town and it really started standing out to me how stressful driving has become.

Since I moved here, my car driving has been restricted to one or two outings here and there and for the most part I've just been a passenger.  Other than going climbing, I do just about everything on my bike.  It's honestly easier in this town.  There are bike paths that cut more direct lines to many places.  Parking for bikes is easy and free no matter where you go.  Other than the occasional stoplight I rarely have to stop at intersections.  And maybe biggest is just the nice feeling of wind in your face and the smells of the outdoors and the unrestricted view of the amazing scenery.

In contrast, I find my car rides stressful.  I'm less comfortable driving a car than I used to be (lack of practice) and so I honestly am not as proficient a driver as I used to be.  Parking is kinda easy when it comes to running your average errand, but going downtown to hang out with friends makes parking an issue at the least.  I find myself feeling inconvenienced by all the stringent traffic restrictions placed on cars that either don't apply to bikes or that bikes simply get to ignore with relative impunity.

Maybe the biggest one is a horrible fear of actually getting in a wreck.  I almost got nailed by a truck yesterday (truck's fault, not mine) on my bike and ignoring possible medical expenses, I was really only looking at a dinged up, or bent up bike.  It still could easily be a $100 inconvenience but that is the extent of the equipment damage I'm up against.  Maybe $300 when my road bike arrives.  In a car I'm looking at way more.  Deductibles and increased insurance payments and all that stuff, not to mention the possible price of speeding tickets etc.

Everyone already knows I'm a huge proponent for cycling, but more than ever I find this town makes cycling more practical than driving.  And that is evident in the sheer number of cyclists you see everywhere.  Unlike, Beaumont, a person on a bike bringing groceries back from the store is just as likely to have a doctorate and be a professor at the university as they are to be a poor guy with no car.  I love it.