As If Cyclists Don't Have Enough To Deal With

Cars, drivers, rain, flats, thieves...the list goes on but what we don't need are cyclists begging to be the enemy of everyone behind the wheel. They give us the right to ride on the road, even paint some lines to mark our space. This raises the ire of many motorists. And to some that's just not enough.

I've watched guys ride up the wrong side of the road, the sidewalk and just about everywhere they don't belong. On Victoria Ave. this morning I watched as an adult rode illegally down the sidewalk which parallels the new bike lane. At 5 I was passed by the guy in full racing kit on a road bike. He comes to a stop sign, rides left across the front of the waiting cars in the crosswalk, another illegal move, then up the wrong side of the road until he goes across the road and continues along his merry way. He knows better. Anybody with as much invested as he did knows.

I expect those who ride by necessity rather than choice to break the rules. They ride the cheapest bikes and just don't care, they don't think of themselves as cyclists. But the guy who spends that much on his gear, clothing and extras who thinks of themselves as a cyclist has to think of what he is projecting to the man behind the wheel.

There are people in town who want to march to city hall with a petition asking council to force bikes off the street and back on the sidewalks 'where they belong'. It's not the councils call but it shows the chasm between the thoughts of those on 2 wheels and those on 4.

If you are a cyclist then remember how hard we fight for that 18 inches of the road. Obey the rules, use your head and keep it in a helmet. Maybe in time, maybe not in your lifetime, but in time the majority will accept the bicycle for what it is. A simple machine that could help save the planet.