Don’t Be An Idiot: BENN
“It’s not my fault”. An all too common mantra in today’s society.
It is wearying. Truly wearying. I know I am wandering willfully into a mine field, but here I go anyways. Not to worry, I am wearing Kevlar.
The recent controversy regarding Kitchissippi Councillor Jeff Leiper’s bicycle adventures that appeared in The Bulldog earlier this week is symptomatic of a larger societal problem. Too many voices shouting about their rights. About who is to blame. Ignoring the concept of blame being shared. Too much yelling, not enough listening. Not enough voices speaking about responsibilities.
With rights come responsibilities. With the right to use roadways comes the responsibility to share the space. To not create hazards. Note that the list of users of roadways is quite comprehensive. Motorists, cyclists, skateboarders, scooterers, joggers, pedestrians, including those with limited mobility. All of us (note I include me) have responsibilities, not just to ourselves, but to others.
Obey traffic laws. Behave in a manner that is predictable to those who share the roadway, bike lane and/or sidewalk with you. Do not create more hazardous situations in a setting already fraught with hazards. Be aware of everyone and everything beside you, ahead of you, behind you. Protect yourself and you are likely to protect those around you. Nothing new here folks. Just a hit list from five or six decades ago. Much of which was presented in a child friendly manner by Elmer the Safety Elephant, and at a slightly higher level to adolescents during driver’s education courses. About the need to behave safely. Lessons offered about the need to take responsibility for your own safety. About not expecting everyone else to protect you from hazards and danger.
Rather than complain about the behaviour – past, present and future – of others, how about reflecting on how you can contribute to safer movement on the roadways, bike lanes and sidewalks? Reflecting on how to share the space.
Sharing is a multi-lateral concept. Sharing involves a recognition that you are not the centre of the universe, nor am I. Sharing involves you ceding some territory, even if you have the ‘right’ to be there. Sharing involves recognizing that others also have rights, rights that may be equal to, superior to or inferior to your perception of your rights. Sharing is a concept that demonstrates respect for others. Others including those who do not share your opinions.
In short, stop whining about how everyone else is behaving. Stop blaming everyone else, whilst giving yourself a pass because your cause is virtuous. Start by looking in the mirror, or on that selfie you just took. Take responsibility for how you behave. Take responsibility for your safety. Share the space. Society will be better for it.
Ron Benn, a finance executive, has been a member of the Centrepointe Community Association for the better part of three decades.
![Green Day - American Idiot [Official Music Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ee_uujKuJMI/0.jpg)
Don’t be an idiot.
For You:
Spitting Vitriol From The Bike Zealots
Put Bike Lanes On Quiet Streets: THE VOTER
Cycling: Stop The Blame Game: BENN
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Mr. Benn:
Someone does not know he or she is an idiot until they’re told he or she is an idiot.
Bravo!
Welcome good sense from Mr. Benn (and he even remembers Elmer the Safety Elephant!).
While this discussion has focused on cars and bicycles, I am constantly amazed how many pedestrians don’t have a clue on how to take responsibility for their safely. Pedestrians of all ages, in large numbers, walk on residential streets with their backs to traffic, often wearing headphones and dark clothes particularly outside of summer months. I’d ask what happened to teaching children to walk facing traffic when there are no sidewalks but people of all ages are guilty of this poor safety practice. Even joggers will often run on the road with their backs to traffic (with many wearing dark clothes and listening to music) when there is a sidewalk because they presumably don’t like the unevenness of sidewalks and how they can dip a bit with each driveway. Then their are dog walkers who think because part of a park has an off-leash section, the entire park is off-leash but that is a whole other story of not taking responsibility for one’s actions.
Ron and Andrew. I oftentimes quoted Elmer the Safety Elephant when I was training people at work. Andrew has quoted some of Elmer’s epic truths. A couple of additions are “look where you’re going” (this aimed at people who have their faces buried in their cell phones throughout the day), and look both ways before you cross the street. The number one rule of safety that I drilled into peoples’ heads was “we are all responsible for our own safety”. It’s well and good to blame others for our misgivings, “It Wasn’t My Fault” will read nicely on a headstone.
I would challenge Andrew Zenner to find light coloured clothes at this time of the year. This has bugged me for years. Everything is black or dark gray. If you want to be seen you need to get a construction vest of something like it.
Ron,
One of your best columns. It’s great to hear the voice of reason.
I wonder how many people here remember the Safety Village at Britannia Park that taught traffic safety to children for many years. Thousands of Ottawa children learned the rules of the road and sidewalk including bike safety. Maybe it’s time to bring it back and add others in all corners of the city so every kid can benefit from its lessons which, among other things, taught kids to behave responsibly on the road and sidewalk. If they had that instruction early enough, perhaps they would grow up to use the teachings in their dealings with their fellow citizens.
I think it was run by the Kiwanis or one of the other service clubs and I don’t know why it was closed down. In all likelihood, money was a factor. This should be something either the city or the MTO should pick up and fund. I’m sure the cost would be markedly lower than the costs created by the errors people are committing now.
Merrill, I wear an LED light on an elastic strap on my arm, when walking at dusk/night. Even when I am on the sidewalk.
Merrill -There are three other seasons in which one can shop for clothing in which light colour clothing is available and luckily while we have an overabundance of different police forces in Ottawa the fashion police seem to have no authority in Ottawa so no problems wearing white after Labour Day. And as Ron has pointed out, one can always strap on an LED light. Even if you can’t find light colour clothing at this time of year that is no excuse for not facing traffic when you walk or not sticking to streets with sidewalks or running on the street when there is a sidewalk. The Voter – While children could benefit from the Safety Village, I think that there are even more adults that could do so.
Sure, I have lots of white and other light coloured T-shirts, but I don’t cope very well with the cold. And there are not many sidewalks in our neighbourhood, none on our street. Thanks to Ron for his suggestion, I woll look into that.
Andrew,
Good point! I guess that, while I haven’t completely given up on adults, I can see first putting time, effort and dollars into getting to kids before they get the ideas into their heads that have to be reformed to rehabilitate some of those adults.