If You Want to Be Traffic, Act Like It
by T. Herlinger
Driving my old Volvo through my neighborhood recently, I turned my head briefly to glance at a garage sale and nearly ran into a cyclist who had ridden straight through a stop sign. As I sat dazed in the middle of the intersection, he executed a wide turn around the front of my car, glancing up at me with a look that seemed to say, "Okay, I know that was my fault—sorry." But sorry isn't good enough. If I hadn't slammed on my brakes, I would have hit him, likely causing serious injury on his end and major financial and emotional turmoil on mine. The sudden appearance of a cyclist in my path isn't just about people who ignore stop signs. It's about something bigger—cyclists who generally pick and choose which rules of the road they care to follow and when. T-shirt slogans abound that say things like, "Bikes are traffic, too." But if cyclists want to be treated like drivers, they need to follow the same rules drivers do—all of them.
That means refraining from typical cyclist tricks like weaving between vehicles in a traffic jam or bounding up on the sidewalk to beat the flow of cars. It means riding with traffic. This takes a fair amount of savvy, confidence, and guts to pull off, I'll admit. A cyclist must assert his or her right to be treated as a legitimate member of the driving fleet, which includes standing in a rather vulnerable spot in the middle of traffic to make a left turn and ignoring the drivers who seem to wish the cyclist would get off the road. It also means keeping oneself safe—wearing a helmet at all times and realizing that drivers are not trained to look for cyclists. Wearing extra reflective gear and light-colored clothing will help, but the best approach is to assume the driver does not see you. Then you won't be surprised if he or she makes a right turn at an intersection right into your path.
There's nothing like tooling around town on a bike on a breezy fall evening or a hot summer day. But that freedom comes with a price, if you want to stay safe and also be respectful of those with whom you share the road. Do not ride two or three abreast beside your friends, especially if there is any traffic in sight, and never ride against car traffic. These behaviors confuse drivers, making it unclear whether you wish to be treated as traffic or as an obstacle that doesn't belong in the road. Most cyclists would rather be thought of as legitimate traffic with as much right to the road as anyone. I say, if you want to be treated with respect, behave in a way that commands it. Follow the rules that drivers do, and you'll have a better experience on the roadways—you'll also be far more likely to arrive home without a scratch.
Based on this passage, which word best describes the author's attitude toward cyclists?
A.
frightened
B.
apathetic
C.
concerned
D.
enraged