Give Bicyclists Room To Ride

by Larry Lagarde

Sometimes when bicycling, do you ever feel like a second class citizen? Earlier this week, a bicycle accident story by Julie Wernau titled "A New Path For Safety" published in The Day (a Connecticut newspaper) reminded me how dangerous it can be to go cycling on roadways.

On January 2nd, while cycling on Route 161 in East Lyme, CT, Christine Richards (a frequent road cyclist and mom of 2) ran over a branch. Her tire kicked the stick up between the wheel rim and brake, launching Richards off her bike and onto the ground. The impact caused a fractured spine, broken collarbone and multiple breaks to her left hand, wrist and arm. Recuperating will cost Richards 5-6 months away from her job and will make it difficult to care for her children.

Although many places require by law that cyclists ride on roadways, all too often, bicycle riders feel unsafe riding in a traffic lane. Forced by heavy or fast moving traffic to ride in debris on the road's shoulder, cyclists are unnecessarily placed at high risk. If they don't ride on the shoulder, cyclists place themselves in the path of confrontational motorists like this one quoted on Smart City Memphis: "Require bicyclists to license their "vehicles" the way I am required to license mine (another form of taxation). then let's discuss sharing the roadways."

Bicycling can be a fun, fit, practical and environmentally friendly means of transportation in the USA; however, building bike only trails everywhere to separate bicycles from motor vehicles is impractical. Certainly, more bike lanes, routes and/or bikeways are needed in streets but the greatest hurdle to safe riding is the unwillingness of some motorists to share the road.

Bicycles are legitimate vehicles with a right to being on the roadway. To protect ourselves and our children, we must change attitudes. Remind your political representatives, local transportation planners and members of the media that cyclists are road users too.