Life in the bike lane

A cyclist never knows what kind of ride they’ll have as they suit up, throw on their helmet and roll off. It might be a ride where you get a flat tire. It might be a ride where you get caught in an unexpected downpour. Maybe it’s even a ride where you find a wallet or cell phone and begin your own detective work to find the rightful owner or try to find the closest police station to turn it in.

Unfortunately, a cyclist can also find themselves on a ride where they are honked at, yelled at, swerved at and maybe even hit.

Too often rides become cars vs. cyclist.

Drivers are in a hurry. Drivers are angry. Drivers can’t understand why a cyclist is on the road. But for the most part, motorists don’t seem to know the law. A cyclist has the right to be in the road. A cyclist has the right to an entire lane of traffic if they deem it necessary. Two cyclists can ride next to each other unless there is a sign indicating they can’t on that particular road.

In my opinion, it just becomes a driver’s mentality that gets in the way. Think about it, an autonomous driving car wouldn’t see a cyclist as a cyclist. It would only see a bike as another vehicle of the road. It wouldn’t honk. It wouldn’t yell. And it wouldn’t pass as closely as possible just to prove a point.

Honestly, 99 percent of motorists pass you with plenty of room and go about their day. That’s the best ride a cyclist can have. But it takes just one person who’s having a bad day, wants to yell or just isn’t paying attention. And that’s the worst ride a cyclist can have.

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Volume 14, Issue 3, Posted 10:15 AM, 02.01.2022