As an avid cyclist, both on the road and on the trail, I know and understand many of the various laws and rights of way afforded to my fellow cyclists and I. Its all too easy to become complacent and forget that others, particularly non-cyclist drivers, may not know these laws and rights of way.
A few weeks ago I was in Springfield visiting my sister. My sister was driving and we were in the crowded downtown area. The streets in down town Springfield are not particularly wide and cars park along the curbs. It was a nice day out so the windows were down. We came upon a bike commuter and had to slow considerably behind him as he made his way up the hill. There was no bike lane or room for us to pass him. When the road did widen and we had room to go around my sister yelled “STAY ON THE SIDEWALK!!!” as we passed. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.
See, I bike a lot. I talk about it, I write about it, I read about it, and I tell people about it. When my sister did this I could not comprehend the fact that I was riding in the passenger seat of a car that just verbally assaulted a fellow cyclist. If it had been some of my friends on that bike they probably would have sprinted to catch us at the next light and told us what he really thought about ignorant drivers. Thankfully that guy just kept riding like nothing had happened.
I had made the assumption that my sister knew that bicyclists on the road have the same rights of way as cars. I was angry about what had just happened and I let her know about it. This was partly my fault too though. I had never told her that bikes should be considered equal to cars on the road. I never told her that bikes are supposed to stop at traffic lights and stop signs just like cars. I had never told her that if the safest thing to do on a narrow street, with cars on the curb, and on coming traffic going the other way is to take the entire lane and not give room for a car to try and squeeze by until there is room.
I had not done my part to make sure the people around me knew these laws and rights of way. It could have been me on that bike. My sister may not recognize me on a bike with a helmet and sunglass on while driving up from behind.
As a cyclist I feel that it is the responsibility of each cyclist to inform the non-cycling masses about our rights on the road. If we don’t stand up for our selves no one else will.
The non-cycling driver isn’t going to go looking for this information so they don’t offend anyone. They are going assume that bikes are like people on foot. They are going to assume that cars are bigger and faster so they rule the road. They are going to assume that we belong on the sidewalk. They are simply going to assume…and we all know what assuming does right? It makes an ASS out of U and ME!! I felt like an ass when that guy my sister yelled at turned and looked right at me. I was guilty by association.
All of us cyclists need to at least inform the ones around us and I don’t mean gather them all up and hold a class or anything but that could work if you want to do it. I mean just let people know that we belong on the road just like cars. If you hear someone saying something about it that is wrong, speak up and politely correct the matter. But at the very least don’t assume others know and don’t just stand by and let it continue.
If you follow these links you can find more information about bicycle laws and rights of way in your state.
Missouri Bicycle Federation
Laws Pertaining to Bicyclists -This site has a directory of links for each state
