author interview
"Where did you get the idea for your first book, Letters to a Driving Nation?"
"I've been cycling to work for more than twenty years; in that time I've come across numerous situations where a driver has, through action or inaction, caused me to fear for my safety. This book is a series of letters, written to those drivers - what I would say if I could sit down with them and have a rational discussion about their behaviour."
"Some of your stories are pretty scary! How do you manage to not lose your cool when you encounter drivers behaving that way?"
"It's really hard not to lose your cool when someone tries to bully you using their vehicle, usually because they think you did or didn't do something they thought was wrong (or just thought cyclists shouldn't be on the road). But I know it's not wise to tangle with someone wrapped in several thousand pounds of metal and plastic - that's like bringing a knife to a gunfight. That's why I wrote this book."
"Why do you keep cycling if it's so scary out there?"
"Cyclists have just as much right to use the roads as drivers do - that's the law (in most places). I've been cycling (and driving) long enough that I know how to read most situations on the road. The more cyclists use the roads, the more drivers will come to accept them. I'm doing my part to help that."
"You come down pretty hard on some drivers in this book. Don't some cyclists behave just as badly?"
“Of course they do, but my book is about the behaviour of drivers, not cyclists. Your question is actually a rhetorical fallacy know as a red-herring or misdirection. Why are people so quick to defend the actions of other drivers? Why can't we all just admit that there are some really shitty drivers out there? If a driver behaves badly, they're protected by their vehicle while others more vulnerable will get hurt; if a cyclist misbehaves, he is the one who will probably get hurt. People who only drive seem to have trouble with this concept - which is why I think the onus is on drivers to take extra care around those more vulnerable."
"Why do you think readers will be interested in your book and its message?"
“That’s a tough one, because my book is aimed at drivers, and drivers tend to be reluctant to admit their driving could use improvement. Anyone who drives can benefit from my book, as it provides them with a cyclist’s perspective on what it’s like to share the road with motor vehicles."
"What did you learn from writing this book?"
“The biggest thing I learned from my research was that driving is a much more emotional and controversial subject than I'd ever considered. The way some people react to a criticism of their driving is very similar to the way religious people respond when their dogma is questioned. That makes it very difficult to get my message across."
"Who did the illustrations for your book?"
“I went to fiverr.com and tried several illustrators before finding the right one who had the style I was looking for - he lives in Singapore. He and I worked closely for over a year, turning my many crude hand sketches into really neat color illustrations.”
"How did you come up with the witty chapter titles?"
“If you’re a fan of the television show ‘The Big Bang Theory’, you’ll recognize that my chapter titles follow a similar style as their episode titles. After I’d finished writing each chapter, its title pretty much jumped out at me."
"You refer to Maple Ridge as "the most cycling-hostile city you've ever ridden in" - could you elaborate?"
“I lived in Maple Ridge for 22 years. The drivers are, at worst, openly hostile to cyclists, at best, indifferent. The engineering department treats cyclists as some weird form of pedestrian, partly a result of a badly-written traffic bylaw passed in 2007 that had the unintended side effect of allowing cyclists to ride on the sidewalk; as a result, drivers literally don't know what to do around cyclists now. Where opportunities arise to build infrastructure that will allow cyclists easier access to shops, etc., Maple Ridge can be counted on to do the opposite.
What passes for a cycling advisory committee in Maple Ridge often has its suggestions rejected by the engineering department. Cycling infrastructure development comes off as a zero-sum game - something is added for one class of cyclists (e.g. recreational) that makes it more dangerous for another class (e.g. roadies).
Most cyclists I know avoid riding in Maple Ridge whenever possible. Those that do live there and want to go for a ride try to get out of town as quickly as possible, cycling in neighbouring communities that are much more friendly. Cyclists tend to have a significant amount of disposable income, and that gets spent at coffee shops and convenience stores in other towns.
I recently moved to nearby Pitt Meadows; quite frankly it is a breath of fresh air, cycling-wise. Lots of bike lanes, easy access to shops, etc. "
"What other writing projects are you currently working on?"
“Besides marketing Letters to a Driving Nation, I’m currently working on two more books. The first is a non-fiction novel of a really cool engineering project I was involved in 1989 to 1996 - a joint Canada-US defence project intended to provide Canada with the capability to monitor Soviet submarines in Canada’s arctic waters. I worked for the subsea engineering company that built a large robotic submarine we used to lay a fibre-optic cable on the seafloor out to the edge of the Continental Shelf, where it was connected to an acoustic array deployed on the seafloor.
My other project is a science fiction novel I've been chipping away at for several years.”
"I've been cycling to work for more than twenty years; in that time I've come across numerous situations where a driver has, through action or inaction, caused me to fear for my safety. This book is a series of letters, written to those drivers - what I would say if I could sit down with them and have a rational discussion about their behaviour."
"Some of your stories are pretty scary! How do you manage to not lose your cool when you encounter drivers behaving that way?"
"It's really hard not to lose your cool when someone tries to bully you using their vehicle, usually because they think you did or didn't do something they thought was wrong (or just thought cyclists shouldn't be on the road). But I know it's not wise to tangle with someone wrapped in several thousand pounds of metal and plastic - that's like bringing a knife to a gunfight. That's why I wrote this book."
"Why do you keep cycling if it's so scary out there?"
"Cyclists have just as much right to use the roads as drivers do - that's the law (in most places). I've been cycling (and driving) long enough that I know how to read most situations on the road. The more cyclists use the roads, the more drivers will come to accept them. I'm doing my part to help that."
"You come down pretty hard on some drivers in this book. Don't some cyclists behave just as badly?"
“Of course they do, but my book is about the behaviour of drivers, not cyclists. Your question is actually a rhetorical fallacy know as a red-herring or misdirection. Why are people so quick to defend the actions of other drivers? Why can't we all just admit that there are some really shitty drivers out there? If a driver behaves badly, they're protected by their vehicle while others more vulnerable will get hurt; if a cyclist misbehaves, he is the one who will probably get hurt. People who only drive seem to have trouble with this concept - which is why I think the onus is on drivers to take extra care around those more vulnerable."
"Why do you think readers will be interested in your book and its message?"
“That’s a tough one, because my book is aimed at drivers, and drivers tend to be reluctant to admit their driving could use improvement. Anyone who drives can benefit from my book, as it provides them with a cyclist’s perspective on what it’s like to share the road with motor vehicles."
"What did you learn from writing this book?"
“The biggest thing I learned from my research was that driving is a much more emotional and controversial subject than I'd ever considered. The way some people react to a criticism of their driving is very similar to the way religious people respond when their dogma is questioned. That makes it very difficult to get my message across."
"Who did the illustrations for your book?"
“I went to fiverr.com and tried several illustrators before finding the right one who had the style I was looking for - he lives in Singapore. He and I worked closely for over a year, turning my many crude hand sketches into really neat color illustrations.”
"How did you come up with the witty chapter titles?"
“If you’re a fan of the television show ‘The Big Bang Theory’, you’ll recognize that my chapter titles follow a similar style as their episode titles. After I’d finished writing each chapter, its title pretty much jumped out at me."
"You refer to Maple Ridge as "the most cycling-hostile city you've ever ridden in" - could you elaborate?"
“I lived in Maple Ridge for 22 years. The drivers are, at worst, openly hostile to cyclists, at best, indifferent. The engineering department treats cyclists as some weird form of pedestrian, partly a result of a badly-written traffic bylaw passed in 2007 that had the unintended side effect of allowing cyclists to ride on the sidewalk; as a result, drivers literally don't know what to do around cyclists now. Where opportunities arise to build infrastructure that will allow cyclists easier access to shops, etc., Maple Ridge can be counted on to do the opposite.
What passes for a cycling advisory committee in Maple Ridge often has its suggestions rejected by the engineering department. Cycling infrastructure development comes off as a zero-sum game - something is added for one class of cyclists (e.g. recreational) that makes it more dangerous for another class (e.g. roadies).
Most cyclists I know avoid riding in Maple Ridge whenever possible. Those that do live there and want to go for a ride try to get out of town as quickly as possible, cycling in neighbouring communities that are much more friendly. Cyclists tend to have a significant amount of disposable income, and that gets spent at coffee shops and convenience stores in other towns.
I recently moved to nearby Pitt Meadows; quite frankly it is a breath of fresh air, cycling-wise. Lots of bike lanes, easy access to shops, etc. "
"What other writing projects are you currently working on?"
“Besides marketing Letters to a Driving Nation, I’m currently working on two more books. The first is a non-fiction novel of a really cool engineering project I was involved in 1989 to 1996 - a joint Canada-US defence project intended to provide Canada with the capability to monitor Soviet submarines in Canada’s arctic waters. I worked for the subsea engineering company that built a large robotic submarine we used to lay a fibre-optic cable on the seafloor out to the edge of the Continental Shelf, where it was connected to an acoustic array deployed on the seafloor.
My other project is a science fiction novel I've been chipping away at for several years.”