1992_05 The Daily Collegian May 1992

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Cyclist abuse
unwarranted
Test time!
True or false: Bicycle riders are alk
brainless, selfish idiots who have never
paid taxes in their lives and therefore
have no right whatsoever to ride on
public roads.        ,
* If you answered "true," you are
probably one of the people I have had
the misfortune of sharing the road with
lately.
Don't instantly fill your brain with all
the familiar arguments about how
careless and dangerous most cyclists are.
After all, the same could be said of most
motorists. Most motorists run red lights
when making left turns and speed up
when someone behind is trying to pass.
But do you try to run them off the road
on a regular basis?
\ Unfortunately, a sort of playground
bully, 'Tm bigger than you are so get
the hell out of my way" attitude often
prevails on the streets which is both
unwarranted and dangerous.
My own experiences with motorists  +
range from being hit with water bal- " I
loons and contents of fast-food contain¬
ers to being honked at or flipped off
when / wasn't doing anything to being hit
by a Fresno City bus.
I have had countless friends hit by
cars. I have had friends die after being
hit by cars while riding their bikes.
And yes, we wear our helmets. Some
cyclists don't, though, like some motor¬
ists don't wear seatbelts.
You just don't hear a lot of stories
from frightened motorists about cycling
thugs throwing liquids into their cars at
stop lights, or flipping off passing cars
with wild abandon.
Last weekend, while on a ride in the
foothills, my cycling class sat on a road¬
side eating lunch, bikes leaning against
a fence off the road's shoulder.
A guy in a truck drove by slowly,
waving his middle finger at all of us.
v%? ,
Motorists either think cyclists have no
right to be on the road, or they think
we're dangerous, or both.
Well, sidewalks are for pedestrians.
People on foot. Even people who roller-
blade are cautioned to stay off the side¬
walk if jfieir speed is top great.
Roads, for one thing, often have "bike
lanes/ which is a sure indicator that bi-
cydes belong there. It is not merely a
concession to high-powered lobbyists
protesting at the Cal-Trans office.
As far as danger goes, cyclists are the
ones in danger, not motorists. Cyclists'
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moving steel. They really don't even want to get
anywhere near a ton of fast-moving steel.
Motorists, on the other hand, have little to
worry about other than some insurance hassles
and maybe a nick in their car's paint if they hit a
cyclist.
Tenifying, isn't it?
Cyclists ride for that lovely combination of
transportation and exercise.
When you consider the facts that cyclists do
not produce carbon monoxide, CFCs or any
other ozone-depleting pollution, do not burn
fossil fuels and do not contribute to urban
traffic problems, it seems even more absurd that
motorists should be so hostile.
Motorists should be glad cyclists are not all in
cars.
Where would everybody park?
With respect to the motorist-cyclist relation-
ship on public roads, mere is admittedly room
for improvement.
All cyclists, not just the experienced ones,
should know and use hand signals in traffic. (In
Da vis, where there is a huge bicycle-riding
population, cyclists may be ticketed for failing
to use proper hand signals.)
Cyclists should also obey all traffic laws,
which means stopping at stop signs and not
crossing streets against trafic lights, no matter
how easy it appears to do so.
Ifs really not mat avant garde an idea: Drive
carefully, obey the law, and don't hurt people
because\they have less horsepower than you.
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Editor in Cfdef/     \
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