LTE Statesman    Apr 5, 2002

Dear Editor,

Matt Cline gave several good reasons (Statesman, Public Forum,
April 5) for getting on the bicycle.  My thirty years of
transportation cycling may be the exception that proves his Rule
No 1; however, if you were encouraged by Matt to oil your chain
and pump up your tires, there are a few more things that you
should know in your effort to improve your health, save money,
reduce pollution and protect children.

Utah State law says that cyclists have all the rights and duties
of the operator of a vehicle.  And every reputable bike safety
program teaches that following that law is the SAFEST way to get
someplace on your bike.  Riding visibly, predictably and legally
is the best way to insure that you will get to your destination.

If your bike riding makes you feel like a prey item and the
motorists around you are predators, then you're doing something
wrong.  Motorists don't want a ticket; they don't want their
paint scratched; they don't want the delay at a collision scene;
they don't want to get three repair estimates; they don't want to
hurt you.  If you look at all the fenders and grilles in the
parking lot, you can tell they are largely successful at avoiding
obstacles.  

Bicyclists who think they are prey items make a host of mistakes
that actually reduce their safety. The number one,
collision-causing mistake is to ride on the left side of the
road.  That puts you where crossing traffic is not looking for
conflicts, so you are not riding visibly or predictably or
legally.  

The next mistake is to ride on roadside sidewalks.  While not
always illegal, your conflicts with motorists at driveways and
crosswalks put you in their way much more suddenly than the
pedestrians they are expecting to look out for.  And sidewalk
riding is a hazard and nuisance for pedestrians.

Once you reject these first two errors and begin riding on the
right side of the road where you belong and where you can be
safest, you still need to purge the last remnant of the prey
mentality and recognize that you have a right to safely use the
roadway to get where you are going.  Your fellow travelers in
motor vehicles do not have any greater right.

Riding visibly and predictably means riding a straight line -
looking, yielding and signaling before changing from that
straight line.  Don't be a "gutter bunny", weaving back and forth
around parked cars and other obstacles.  Pick a predictable
straight line that allows overtaking traffic to share the lane
only if there is room.   Fortunately, for the convenience of
motorists, most of Logan's streets are wide enough for safe lane
sharing.

Ride bike!

Bob Bayn    797-2396