BIKE: Statesman Editorial: Cyclists: Be Careful

[Lane S. Wimberley]

Interestingly, I didn't read this the same way.  I think that the
message is reasonable and appropriate.  If cyclists are to share
pavement with pedestrians, they need to be careful around them.
Unfortunately, many (but not all) cyclists, like many (but not all)
motorists, tend to take liberties, make assumptions (not to mention
mistakes) and sometimes fail to take precautions and yield
right-of-way.  

Since my commute takes me down the Shoal Creek trail, the sidewalk
along Lamar and the Town Lake Hike and Bike trail, I see it all the
time.  Many cyclists along these routes (especially where the route
heads downhill) are unlikely to slow when passing pedestrians, let
alone announce their approach.

My feeling is that, if cyclists are going to use sidewalks and other
routes where they are likely to encounter pedestrians (a practice that
I know some on the list will inform us is ill-advised), they bear a
responsibility to not only yield right of way to the peds, but also to
be cautious when passing them.  There is no guarantee that the ped
will behave as expected, and so the cyclists should be ready to stop
at a moment's notice.

That said, I will say that it also irks me that peds frequently shirk
their responsibilities as well.  I find it frustrating when my "on
your left" results in absolutely no reaction because the ped has their
MP3 player so loud that they can't hear me at all.

Without wanting to seem like I'm siding to firmly with the Statesman,
I will say that I don't find this letter particularly egregious.  If
it is the case that motorists are running down cyclists on a regular
basis, then by all means, lets send in some letters to that effect.
If the Statesman chooses not to print them, then Mr. Riddle's letter
will be an apt centerpiece in our argument against them.

If we are worried about fanning the fire of driver hostility, then I
think perhaps the most effective strategy will involve alleviating
ourselve of guilt first.

Doing my part,

-Lane


A. Gelfand writes:
> Anyone read this? I agree that the cyclist was very wrong here, if it 
> happened like the writer says it did. However, I think it would have been 
> more appropriate to address the offender specifically instead of sending 
> out a vague yet strong message that cyclists are the inhuman two hundred 
> pound enemy, squashing little children into the pavement (on a hike and 
> bike trail?). Will the statesman ever print a letter villifying motorists 
> who squash cyclists with 3,000 pounds of driver and steel? Also, if sharing 
> the hike and bike trail with walkers is so dangerous, then why are cities 
> (like Round Rock) building more of these trails "for" cyclists? Cyclists 
> mess up car traffic _and_ run over little kids on hike trails. Is there 
> anyplace where cyclists can bike "safely"?
> 
> Sorry for the bitterness, but I get harassed so frequently that I cringe 
> every time the Statesman publishes crap like this than fans the fire of 
> driver hostility, to the point where cyclists hesitate to follow the law 
> for fear of getting "squashed.". When I read the "right turn only" threads, 
> I agreed that the cyclist should always move in the rightmost lane that is 
> going in his direction, but I also have a lot of sympathy for a cyclist 
> hesitating to move into a fast-moving lane of traffic. I have to do this 
> twice on my commute from work. I "solve" the problem by riding during slow 
> times, but sometimes even those non-rush hour motorists do not want to pass 
> me safely.
> 
> I just got back from Lufkin's Pineywood Purgatory ride, which _rocked_. At 
> no time during the 72-mile ride did a motorist honk at me or pass closer 
> than a half-lane-width away. Most of the cars pulled into the left lane 
> entirely. )I was told that the other 364 days of the year they go back to 
> throwing beer bottle at the cyclists, but that's another story....) I 
> wonder what the  Outlaw 100 ride will bring? It occurs to me that if the 
> driver who killed that woman on the Outlaw 100 ride would  not have hit the 
> cyclist had she (the driver) pulled over to the left adequately to pass?
> 
> Does this editorial need to be addressed by another letter to the editor? 
> Can that be done without sounding like a child-hating jerk?
> 
> Anyway, here's the letter.................
> ********************************************************
> 
> "A bicyclist ran over my 9-year-old daughter as we were walking to school 
> on the Shoal Creek hike and bike trail recently. He came down the hill 
> behind us, too fast, didn't alert us that he was coming, and assumed he 
> knew which way we would dodge when we finally heard him. He guessed wrong 
> and ran right into my daughter. We're very lucky that she suffered only 
> scrapes , bruises, and a lot of tears. I'm trying not to imagine the 
> injuries a child could receive being squashed on the pavement by two 
> hundred pounds of bicycle and rider. Walkers have the right of way on the 
> hike and bike trails, followed by runners and then cyclists. It's always 
> the cyclist's responsibility to pass pedestrains slowly enough to avoid an 
> accident."
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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