Our subconscious need to stay within the lines, even when they aren’t meant for us.
By Ori Lenkinski
Biking around Tel Aviv I am constantly in shock at how many pedestrians feel completely entitled to walk on the bike path. That is, on the scant bike paths the municipality of our beautiful city have deemed necessary. Most often, I notice this phenomenon on Rothschild Boulevard, where pedestrian meets biker. I wonder why the hoofers choose to walk in a place where they are barraged by the twinkly-bells of hurried bikers when there is a people lane just a few feet away. But, as I see it, the answer with this tricky anomaly is in the question.
Is there really a “people” lane or is there a bike lane and then a block of undefined space?
On Rothschild as on King David Boulevard and Ibn Gvirol Street the bike lane is demarcated with two sets of parallel, white dashes. The “people” area is unmarked.
If you ask me, this is the root of the problem.
The average pedestrian doesn’t wake up in the morning, wash their face and say to their rosy-cheeked image in the mirror, “today I’m going to get in a biker’s way.” The transgression happens subconsciously.
As the pedestrian walks, he or she is pulled, almost magnetically, to the space between those shiny white dashes. They become sheep to the paint. They don’t know they are doing it but something about putting one foot in front of the other in that defined space feels right. It’s comforting. It gives the impression that they are on the right path when in fact; they are ruining my commute to work.
Walking in the bike lane is me going to college in Canada when all I wanted to do was move to New York to dance. But the bike lane is worse because there is no potential degree involved.
Walking in the bike lane is a chubby teenage girl wearing daisy dukes, a bare midriff shirt and too much makeup. But the bike lane is worse because it harms others not just the perpetrator.
Walking in the bike lane is pretending to know some ridiculous hipster band on a date. But walking in the bike lane is worse because it can’t plea an attempt to impress. It doesn’t impress anyone.
The worst part about the whole thing, the really worst part, the inexcusable, hypocritical, skin-crawly reality is that as a pedestrian I too walk in the bike lane.
