To the editor:
Few things in life are as enjoyable as a bike ride down a quiet country lane or some sleepy city side street. Wind wafting the face and muscles getting worked and toned as the rest of the world melts from your thoughts.
“Hello! Earth to Norman Rockwell! Toto here! We’re not in Kansas, anymore!” Reality is more like a constant, laser-focused awareness of everything that moves. And even the things that don’t move – in case the moving thing that is suddenly passing you “taps” into said stationary obstacle. This is the world of cyclists in any area where the population and infrastructure are testing each other’s ability to maintain a safe environment for all things dealing with transportation.
That is why I was curious to see the town of Wake Forest cited as a ‘bike friendly” community. A new bike share project will, hopefully, increase the acceptance of the requirement to share the road with everyone. Studies show that there is proportionate drop in bike-related incidents when more bikes are on the road.
And though it is debatable, some studies state the need to wear a helmet diminishes when the public has been conditioned to the increased number of two-wheelers using the streets. I am not at all convinced, but there is research backing this up.
There is no one I can imagine who would like to be on either end of a cyclist/car mishap. Both wanted their day to continue as planned. They both had every intention to be home that evening. So isn’t logical to assume both would have done every thing in their power to see that the “other guy” had his wishes fulfilled?
So, as Columbo used to say, “There’s just a couple of things I don’t understand here!”
To the motorists:
Why are drivers allowed to park, en masse, in bike lanes as they wait to pick up schoolkids?
How can building projects be permitted without any regard for the future pedestrian and cyclist traffic?
Why aren’t cyclists allowed on sidewalks while being required to yield to and notify pedestrians in their path?
When are the speed limits going to be reduced to levels that are safe for residents and visitors alike? (South Main Street and 98 Bypass? 55 mph posted speed limit. Really?)
To the cyclists:
When you crest that hill on the curve at 15 mph and the endorphins are really kickin’ in, do you consider the car approaching at 55 mph from the rear, on the other side of the crest, around the curve?
While training for the next race in the early morning or right around sunset are you taking into account that the sun is in many motorists’ eyes? You are invisible, also, to those with the sun at their back because the long shadows on the street have just put you in the dark.
When you signal a car to pass you on a hill or curve don’t forget that they can’t see what you see because they are maintaining a safe distance behind you until they can “trust but verify” what you are looking at from a different vantage point.
And about those outfits. It seems some of you surf the catalogs until you find the one pattern that will most easily blend in with shadows and roadside vegetation! You can hardly imagine how it makes me feel when I see this gaudy, neon, lemon-lime, electric paint suit with matching flashing LEDs front and back. To that fellow road warrior I say,”Thanks, my friend! Now we will both get to where we are going today!”
Mike Webb
Wake Forest
One Response
Dear Mike-
I will definitely agree with you about the drivers who sit en masse in a bike lane, or any lane, in order to pick up their children-something needs to be done about that. I think that motorists and cyclists in NC need to do a better job about signaling. The signal is there to be used when shifting lanes and turning. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a near miss because someone doesn’t look or signal before shifting lanes. However, I think you also forgot to include the cyclist that has a bike lane available to them but then decides to ride in the middle (not even on the side) of a motorist lane resulting in traffic back-ups due to one individual. Or the individuals that decide stop signs or the crosswalk signals aren’t for them, resulting in cars who have the right of way to have to slam on their brakes to avoid said individual.
Cyclists get a bad rep because it’s the few that break the rules of the road that are remembered more so than the ones that obey the rules. Let’s not pretend one of our major offenses is what we choose to wear when biking. Also, please always wear a helmet. Concussions or worse are no joke.