When Michael McGettigan lived in Barcelona for a year in the early 1990s, he says he saw a city that appreciated bicyclists. The co-owner of Trophy Bikes says Philly doesn’t come close to treating bicyclists the same way.
He is part of a pro-bike lobby who says legislation requiring bike registration by Councilmen Frank DiCicco and Jim Kenney is spurred by “growing anti-cycling sentiment.” McGettigan filmed a satirical video on YouTube showing drivers rolling through stop signs at 19th and Rittenhouse streets.
What made you decide to film vehicles for five minutes?
This video is based on reality. DiCicco has imagined some world where he can force cyclists to behave in a world where everyone else doesn’t follow the law. The biggest thing that rules cyclists’ behaviors is the fear of getting hurt, unlike these drivers. They’re not afraid of anything. The quickest way to, say, get cyclists off the sidewalk is get people in cars to obey the laws.
Why do motorists despise bicyclists?
Motorists are angry and they have a lot to be angry about. Gas prices are really high and not coming down. They see cyclists cruising past them on city streets and they get angry.
As a cycling teacher, what do you think about bicyclists who run red lights?
I tell people you have to behave exactly like a car. But occasionally, the rules are so arranged at moving cars through Center City at high speeds, it’s safer to slip through a red light. … If I obeyed every traffic law, I would be dead or deaf from all the honking.
