Sharing the Road

By Brenda Williams

The other day I was a passenger in the car with someone who suddenly became enraged when they saw that there was a cyclist up ahead in our lane, slowing down traffic because he wasn’t flush to the side of the road. “They shouldn’t allow bicycles in the road...I mean, really why isn’t this guy on the sidewalk?! He’s just asking to be hit, and it would serve him right!”

This was not the right attitude to have while driving. If you are new to an area or have just moved, one of the first things you should acquaint yourself with are the road rules for your particular area. For instance, in most states now, adult cyclists are encouraged to ride on the roadways WITH traffic that is heading in the same direction. However, recreational cyclists and children are still permitted to ride on sidewalks. Part of this was done to reduce injury to pedestrians who use the sidewalks for walking and running and cannot accurately react to a cyclist who is speeding down the sidewalk at upwards of 20 miles per hour sometimes. In some states, cities and towns, such as Brooklyn, New York, there are even designated “cyclist lanes” for those who use their bicycles as their main mode of transportation.

As responsible motorists, we need to recognize that cyclists are just as much entitled to share the road with us as we are with them. Put yourself in their shoes and realize how dangerous it can sometimes be for cyclists to share the roadways with drivers who don’t want to share the road. I remember one chilling story that one of my cycling friends told me: My friend (whose name I won’t say) recounted a story where she was out training on her racing bike one day. She was riding along in the roadway (as per the rules of the area she lived in) when a car full of people rode up along side of her and began verbally taunting her from their car windows. As she slowed down for a red light, the car again pulled up beside her. This time, instead of just verbally assaulting her, the occupants in the vehicle actually began throwing empty glass bottles at her while she was on her bicycle. When the light changed, my friend tried to speed off on her bike as fast as she could, but she was no match for a car. The person driving the car then proceeded to run my friend off the road, causing her to crash and damage her racing bike. Additionally, she also sustained some injuries that wound up needing medical attention. Afraid that she would be further assaulted and possibly harmed by the occupants of the vehicle, she contacted local police authorities by payphone. In the meantime, the vehicle was nowhere to be seen as it had sped off.

Upon hearing this story, I would like to think that any sane person would never want to do something like this to someone on their bicycle. Cars must always yield to cyclists, and both must always yield to pedestrians (people who are running, walking or jogging). By respecting one another more, we will be able to, hopefully, learn how to share the roadways without incident.

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