“How did you get here?”

If you mainly get around by some means other than automobile, and/or if you don’t own a car, your bizarre and eccentric life-choice may have attracted some unwanted attention from the people around you. At least that has been the case for me.

“HOW DID YOU GET HERE?” is a question I get all the time. From virtual strangers, and from people I’ve known for years. The implication being that my mode of transport is somehow strange and needs always to be addressed out loud in public.

From civilians, it’s annoying but sort of inevitable, and I just have to take a deep breath. But from fellow environmentalists, it sends me crashing into deepest despondency. I’m like, really? Et tu, viridi?

Gee, it’s almost like we don’t work on climate issues together. Or attend meetings about sustainable urban planning. <shrug; eye-roll>

Look, I realize it can be difficult to impossible to get around without a car. And I am not constantly harassing people for driving everywhere. So what I would like is if people would simply respect that I have taken care of my own transportation and that it’s not really any of their concern. And: Fellow environmentalists, you may not realize this, but you are unintentionally marginalizing non-car forms of transport when you make an issue of this.

Hey, I may be the only person in the entire cosmic universe who has ever experienced this phenomenon, but I’m just putting it out there in case some of you have as well.

To answer the question, there’s no good way to answer that question. Sometimes I just blatantly change the subject or ignore the question. Other times I say things like, “Safely and in one piece, glad you did too!” Or, “Same way everyone else got here.”

I have always applied virtual duct tape to my mouth just in time, right when I was about to respond to someone, “Why — are you still driving?”

Lately, though, I’m really wanting to restrict my snark impulses to my fiction writing, and find more constructive ways to respond to my fellow human beings in real life. I could say something like, “Why? Are you interested in learning about transport options? I’ll be happy to shoot you an email with some information.” Or, “Why? Would you like to walk or bicycle or bus with me to the meeting next time? If so, I’ll be sure and invite you.”

I feel like a petty dork obsessing about this stuff, and yet, what it signifies is not petty. Getting around without a car should not be considered so weird and marginal, especially with so many people having trouble putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads. Even the more comfortably-off people who don’t have trouble meeting those basic expenses still have issues such as losing cars in floods and having to replace them. I know one person who has lost, I think, four cars in storms so far. I imagine insurance reimburses a lot of it but I doubt it all gets reimbursed.

I think sometimes another reason why I get frustrated is that I’m mad at myself for not being a very effective transportation activist. Meaning I don’t seem to really get anyone motivated to actually try a different mode of transport, as opposed to just publicly pointing out the weirdness of getting around by something other than a car.

But it’s bigger than that. Because this is supposed to be a collective effort. We, environmentalists, were supposed to reform the unsustainable transportation system that is a major contributor to biospheric collapse. Instead, we came down hard on the side of individualistic solutions and reinforcing suburban-sprawl settlement patterns. (How we environmentalists have contributed to suburban sprawl is a whole ‘nother topic.)

So, when a fellow environmentalist asks the dreaded, “How did you get here?” it’s like rubbing salt in a wound.

But, this is a lifelong area of my activism, and I will keep plugging away. It’s so important, not just for environmental reason but also for reasons related to health and aging in place.

PS. This past week, a fellow transportation activist was seriously injured while riding her bicycle. She will require surgery and probably not be able to ride her bicycle for a little while. Now in this case, rather than being hit by a motorist, she was hit by a road cyclist who came up passing on the right.

As someone who used to be a road cyclist, doing a lot of long-distance recreational cycling, I am all too aware that road bikes are designed to go a lot faster than basic town bikes, beach cruisers etc.

Fellow road cyclists, of course we need to be aware of the danger of motorists, but we also need to be aware of the danger that we ourselves pose to other cyclists, and also to pedestrians. And on that note, passing on the right is an absolute no-no!

By the way, if you are a motorist who does not ride a bicycle, and you have ever been tempted to try to tell someone not to ride a bicycle (or to stop riding) “because it’s dangerous” — Please don’t!

If you really feel like you have to tell anyone anything, tell your fellow motorists to be less dangerous.

The proper focus for your concern as a motorist is making sure you yourself are driving safely, and spreading awareness among your fellow motorists to be more conscious of the fact that there are road users other than cars. We cyclists are doing our best to make sure our own fellow cyclists are properly dressed and equipped for visibility, and are following the rules of the road.

Also, when someone gets injured on a bicycle, don’t ask them if they’re going to quit cycling. After all, did you quit driving when you got into a car accident? And how would you have felt if people had come asking you if you were going to quit driving? (I realize not everyone has been in a car accident, but the vast majority of us have at one time or another.)

Fellow Eco boomers, if you’re not willing to give up your car or even reduce driving, I’m not going to try to push you. However, I do have a favor to ask. I would appreciate if you would do some simple research to find out what the bus and train routes are in your area. Also look into taxis and Uber’s etc.

And, make a list of the alternative modes of transport you would use if your car were to break down. Include any friends and neighbors who you would feel comfortable enough to ask for a ride. By learning this information, maybe you will stop thinking of cyclists and pedestrians as rare zoo exhibits or perverse rebels-without-a-clue. And just by shifting your consciousness that little bit, you will be helping to reduce the death-grip that car-dependency has on all of us.