We're all just trying to get somewhere
I spend a ridiculous amount of time sitting by the roadside with my camera, watching the grand, chaotic ballet of British traffic unfold. And if there’s one thing that becomes blindingly obvious when you watch the roads from behind a camera all day, it’s that we are all wound way too tight.
The moment we get behind a steering wheel, pull on a helmet, or climb into a cab, we change. Everyone else on the road instantly becomes an obstacle, an idiot, or the enemy.
But here’s the thing: we’re all just trying to get somewhere.
Take the articulated lorry that’s taking an age to pull out of a tight junction. The driver isn't doing it to ruin your morning; he’s trying to navigate 40 tons of steel through a gap designed for a horse and cart, probably while worrying about a tight delivery deadline. Give him a flash of your lights, let him out, and let him go about his day.
Or that car crawling along at 35mph in a 50 zone. Before you jump on the horn and perform an aggressive overtake, consider who might be inside. It could be an elderly driver who is looking for a parking space, a parent with a screaming newborn, or someone driving home from a devastating hospital appointment.
A little bit of spatial awareness and a drop of patience goes a long way.
Buses pulling out, delivery drivers trying to find a dropped pin on a map, pedestrians just trying to cross a busy high street in the rain: we’re all fighting our own quiet battles inside our metal boxes and inside our own heads.
What happened to the universal road wave? The quick flash of the hazard lights to say thank you? The polite nod? Sharing the road works infinitely better when we treat each other with a bit of basic human decency. Let's give each other some space, let's look out for the vulnerable, and let's keep the atmosphere inside our vehicles a bit more relaxed.
After all, if we can just learn to be kind, considerate, and cooperative with one another, we can finally focus on what really matters: ganging up and beating up the cyclists.