120: Proceed Until Apprehended

I cycle up to the transit center and see two other cyclists waiting.  Darnit. Unless the bus is one of those with a 3-bike rack, I'm going to be bumped for the second day this week.  Then along comes a 4th.  He assesses the situation and then immediately turns his bike upside down, removes the wheels, straps the wheels and frame together and stands in line.  Bus arrives, a two-bike rack with one already occupied, so I lock my bike up, planning to pick it up tomorrow.  But Mr. Proceed-Until-Apprehended stays in line and when his turn comes starts to climb up.  Whoa, buddy, bikes aren't allowed (especially on this intercity bus with narrow aisles and no place to put packages except on seats).  Argue back and forth.  Call your supervisor.  10 minute delay for the 20 or so of us wanting to go home.  Can I see your badge (how many people go around impersonating a transit supervisor?).  It's no bigger than luggage.  Luggage is not dirty and greasy.  Are you calling my bike dirty. No means no.  So the cyclist backs down and we're on our way.  And for those of you who commute in dry-clean only slacks, you have the transit system on your side.

119: Categorical Imperative

This commentary by NYTimes ethicist Randy Cohen pretty much sums it up.  If you don't want to follow the link, here is a very brief summary:

"The rule-breaking cyclist that people decry: that’s me. I routinely run red lights, and so do you [the driver or pedestrian]... My behavior vexes pedestrians, drivers and even some of my fellow cyclists...

But although it is illegal, I believe it is ethical...

I roll through a red light if and only if no pedestrian is in the crosswalk and no car is in the intersection — that is, if it will not endanger myself or anybody else... This moral reasoning [passes] the test of Kant’s categorical imperative: I think all cyclists could — and should — ride like me.

I am not anarchic; I heed most traffic laws. I do not ride on the sidewalk... I do not salmon, i.e. ride against traffic. In fact, even my “rolling stops” are legal in some places [Idaho!]...

Cars... harm us insidiously, in slow motion. Auto emissions exacerbate respiratory problems, erode the facades of buildings, abet global warming. To keep the oil flowing, we make dubious foreign policy decisions. Cars promote sprawl and discourage walking, contributing to obesity and other health problems. And then there’s the noise.

Much of this creeping devastation is legal; little of it is ethical..."