Sharing the Road Goes Both Ways

Before I was old enough to drive I used to go lots of places on my bicycle. It was fun being out there on the road and riding to and from wherever it was that I wanted to go. I used to work a few miles from the house and during the summer I would ride my bike to the office to get some exercise. It sure beat walking. But one thing I always did whenever I rode my bike was to obey the traffic laws and to share the road responsibly with cars. After all, I may have the right of way but just having the right of way wouldn't save me if I were to get struck by a large moving vehicle. Share the road is a phrase that many communities use in an effort to get drivers to be more aware of cyclists and to make an honest effort to keep them safe. Unfortunately, oftentimes the reverse situation isn't always true.

I raise this point because I read in the news today that DC is considering adding bicycle lanes to certain streets within the city in order to make biking traffic a little safer and more regulated. Now while I applaud the city's efforts to make the city a bit 'greener' and bike-friendly, I am a bit dubious as to whether it will really make any difference or not. The reason I say this is because often on the way to work in the spring, summer and fall, I drive along a road that has a bike path clearly marked a few feet from the actual road. Unfortunately, more often than not, those paths are devoid of cyclists who prefer to ride on the streets.

Now this road is particularly winding and has many blind turns where often, even for cars following the speed limit, it was unnerving (not to mention highly dangerous) to drive around a corner and nearly plow into a cyclist who was in the middle of the lane. Not only that, but in what I can only figure to be ire at nearly being hit by cars, many cyclists often weave in and out of stopped traffic just to get ahead of the pack and then again slow traffic down when cars are unable to pass them by. While I agree that there are plenty of drivers out there who don't drive well enough to share the road with cyclists, that isn't reason enough for cyclists to ignore the rules of the road and weave in and out of traffic with impunity.

If you read the reactions of some cyclists on news websites to the news that bike lanes will soon become a reality they speak with such excitement that it makes one hopeful that they will actually stick to the paths and lanes designated for them. Now I know that some would argue that not all bike paths and trails are maintained with the same efficiency as roads but still, a little bit of common sense is also necessary on the part of cyclists. I mean a few weeks ago when the roads were just starting to clear from all the ice and snow we had, there were still areas where lanes were just not available to drive on and in the midst of all this chaos were a handful of cyclists, looking to get to work in the cold while doing their part for mother nature. As I often state, I think their heart is in the right place but their heads need a little bit of adjustment.