Cars Vs. Bicycles, Part II
Last week's column prompted an avalanche of mail.
By Gordon Dillow - June 3, 2007 - OC Register

My column last week on the dangers of cars and bicycles sharing the roads prompted a mountain of mail. The good news is that out of the first hundred or so phone messages and emails – with more still coming in – only one angry bicyclist actually called me an (expletive.)

And by today's low standards of public discourse, especially on the Internet, that's positively refreshing.

In the column I took issue with the "Share the Road" campaign, which encourages motorists to be more aware and respectful of bicycle riders.

While that's a laudable goal, I argued that it's dangerous madness to mix fast-moving 4,000-pound cars with relatively slow-moving 25-pound (or less) bikes on high-volume, high-speed roads like sections of Pacific Coast Highway – because no matter who's at fault in a car vs. bike collision the bicyclist always loses, often fatally.

In fact, I likened mixing cars and bikes on busy roads with allowing baby strollers on a freeway. The disparity in speed, weight and stopping distance is just too great – and therefore I suggested that, wherever possible, bikes be relegated to separate, no-cars-allowed bike paths and trails.

Well, about a third of the respondents agreed with me – including some cyclists who said they had given up riding on the streets because of the danger. I also heard a host of complaints by motorists about dangerous behavior by some cyclists – running red lights, darting in front of cars, groups of bicyclists riding in tandem in bike lanes or on shoulders and making it difficult for motorists to safely pass them, and so on.

But the majority of respondents were bicyclists who thought I was, at best, seriously misguided.

"To compare cyclists…to baby strollers is about as absurd as me saying that old people such as yourself should not drive because they lack proper vision and reflexes," wrote Mark Warrick of Lake Forest. "Both statements have some degree of fact, but are equally stereotypical … and discriminatory."

Wait a minute. Old people such as myself? Mark, you whippersnapper!

Actually, Mark agreed that in some places cyclists should be protected by barriers – if only local governments were willing to spend the necessary dough. He added that, "We (cyclists and bicycle organizations) have been trying to save lives by educating people about common sense safety measures – and not just for the cyclists, but for the many careless drivers."

Careless and aggressive drivers were common themes. I heard about motorists yelling at bicyclists, honking for no reason, swerving into bike lanes (often while talking on cell phones), or even throwing things at them. Some cyclists even thought I was encouraging such boorish and dangerous behavior.

"There are already too many motorists on the road who feel they own every inch of it, all the time, any time," Jack Pouchet, who works in Irvine, wrote.

"(They) are more than ready to use your article as ammunition to prove their point as they push the next bicyclist off the road."

A number of cyclists also said it would be unfair to shunt bicyclists onto bike paths when there aren't enough of them.

"I would prefer to bicycle commute on a separate bicycle path, (but) because of the lack of those bicycle paths … I do not have that choice," wrote California Bicycle Coalition vice president Brian Cox, of Placentia.

"Until we recognize the value that (bicycles) provide … and make some positive changes, cyclists will be forced to share the road with automobiles."

Perhaps the most common comment I received was that under state law, bicyclists have exactly the same rights to the road as motorists – which is pretty much true. One key exception is that when they're traveling more slowly than vehicle traffic (which they usually are) bicyclists are generally required by Vehicle Code Section 21202 to "ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway" – something that not all bicyclists do.

Meanwhile, some militant bicyclists stubbornly insisted that no 4,000-pound car is going to brush them off the road under any circumstances – and as one bicyclist said, "If you don't care for that, tough." And another bicyclist, who may be wearing his Lycra a little too tight, ignored the safety arguments in my "despicable" column and instead focused on his right to "become one with my bike" while pedaling the highways and byways.

Which is fine. I just hope while he's becoming one with his bike that he and his bike won't become one with a car.

And finally, I heard from a number of cyclists who acknowledged the dangers of mixing bicycles with motor vehicles but will continue to do it anyway.

"You need to understand that (riding a bicycle) is my passion," wrote Francisco Chanes of Rancho Santa Margarita. "Yes, I keep telling myself that one of these days it could be me, but I have to live with that in order to enjoy the thing I love most."

Okay, Francisco. It's up to you. I would only ask that while you and other bicyclists are out there on the streets that you be careful with your lives.

And I'll pray that the motorists you encounter will be careful with them, too.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7953 or GLDillow@aol.com

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