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Bicyclists need to know the rules
of the road
By Ron
Wallace
September 25, 2008 | Since the price of gas has been
rising around the nation it is only natural that more
people are going to start riding their bikes. As you
drive around Logan you notice there are a lot more people
either walking or riding their bikes on the streets.
The thing unfortunate or scary about some of these bike
riders is they think they are an exception to the rules
of safety. I've heard from other people's accounts and
witnessed this personally within the last couple of
months.
Two weeks ago when driving to work there were two
bike riders riding on the side of the road. Without
signaling or looking they thought they would just cut
me off. I guess they thought the lane was for bicyclers
only. It would have been OK if they had been riding
in this lane of the street the whole time, but instead
halfway down they just thought they would cut in. They
didn't look, signal, or show any consideration at all.
I had to slam on my brakes and swerve to the side to
miss them. The funny thing is when I passed them they
acted like they hadn't done anything wrong.
I'm not the only one that has been in this situation
lately. I've heard stories of many other people seeing
bikers that think they are an exception to the law or
bicycling rules. My wife and sister-in-law both said
they have each seen bicyclers running through four-way
stops.
One thing frustrating with bicyclers is they have
such a hard time keeping up with regular traffic. If
there's a four lane road they don't mind staying in
the fast lane even if they don't plan on turning. Then
in your head you're trying not to curse because instead
of going 35 mph you're forced to go 15 mph behind this
bicycler that you feel shouldn't even be on the road.
Since we have so many bike riders and are getting
more daily because of economical reasons, we need to
be accommodating on the road even if they ride really
slow. At the same time, bicyclers need to do there part
to be aware of what the laws are and obey them.
According to the Logan City Police Dept. these are
a few of the laws and rules that bicyclers should be
obeying:
- Bicyclers should obey all traffic laws just like
a regular vehicle needs to (This includes using hands
signaling when turning and switching lanes).
- They can't carry passengers on their bicycle.
- Bicyclers must ride on the street instead of the
sidewalk unless they are certain people such as postal
workers, delivery persons and police officers.
- When bicyclers are on the sidewalk they must yield
to pedestrians at all times.
- When bicyclers enter onto the roadways from an alley,
sidewalk or driveway they must always yield to traffic.
These laws are set up to ensure the safety of both
drivers of vehicles and bicyclers. The only problem
is most people don't know about them. It would be best
if police can start pulling bicyclers over when they
see them run four-way stops or cutting people off, to
at least point out the error they made. This way everything
can be a little safer and we can prevent accidents before
they happen.
NW
MS |
