i like traffic intersections. i still have my lifelong interest in women's restrooms, but traffic intersections are the community study du jour.
this week in our bioregion seminar, lead completely by grad students (there's no faculty member present, even), sitting outside on the grass on a beautiful sunny day, the topic of conversation was 'regional transportation systems.' what is a regional transportation system - what does it look like, who does it serve, how could it work? which lead to discussion of the present road system, the american individual driving freedom thing, which of course degenerated into the 'what is wrong with people today, where are people's values?' conversation, with requisite walmart references. davis is unique for its strong bicycling ethic, which gave a twist to the talking - complaints about drivers not noticing bicycles and the such. some people were talking alot, and so by the time there was a rest in conversation, i decided not to say my bit (for a few different reasons).
which was, this. i've been encouraging interaction at intersections. just in my own life. the big intersection right before i get to my home, with a traffic light. i pass by slow enough on my bike to make eye contact with the people i pass by, waiting for the red light to change. i smile at them. i smile at them even bigger if they are singing - yeah, i know you're having fun singing in your car, i do that too sometimes. then i keep riding and the light changes. but there, you saw me from inside your big hunk of steel and i saw you while my legs were working. it's very simple, i know. but in the short amount of time i've been learning about community development from an academic standpoint, when i combine it with my preference for life-sized personal doing that's what i get: interaction at the intersection.
so just now, i was riding home, a friday evening, the weekend is starting ride home, and i approach my intersection. the light is red, and i hit the crosswalk button. across the big street, someone else has been waiting on his bike, to come in the other direction. he's really hitting the crosswalk button a lot (it makes a loud noise if you do it right). at first i'm a little condescending about the impatience he seems to exude. then i decide to just hit my button lots, too. i stop, he starts up again. silence, then a few bangs from me. back and forth, but not at all in a call and response way.no recogintion of the other person, very natural. just felt to me like sharing the waiting time together. then the light changed, and i passed by an 11 year old boy with glasses.he was smiling and so was i.