The Cyclists on Roads Debate

Do cyclists belong on roads? A couple of weeks ago, about 700 cyclists were participating in the Multiple Sclerois Charity Bike Ride in Loudoun County, about an hour west of Washington DC. A handful of them were ticketed for running through stop signs. This sparked a debate in the local news media.

As a cyclist myself, I certainly am a fan of riding on the roads. The trails around the Metro area serve a purpose too. Generally, when I do weekday training rides solo, I stick to the trails. However, it is highly rewarding to get out of the area and explore the byways of Virginia and Maryland via bicycle. Additionally, the trails around town tend to get overly crowded on the weekends and are not conducive to long training rides, particularly in a group.

I do strongly feel in obeying the rules of the road, however. It irks me both as a cyclist, and a driver, to see cyclists who feel the rules of the road do not apply to them. All too often, I see cyclists biking against traffic (which is highly dangerous), blowing through red lights, and dodging wildly through traffic. (I can understand going through a red light when no cars are in sight, and the bicycle does not trip the light switch.) I feel that cyclists who do no obey the rules of the road hurt safety for the rest of us.

I was once biking with a small group of friends through Potomac, Maryland, a close-in subburb of Washington DC. This particular area is very popular with cyclists, as the route is scenic with rolling hills, but very close to town and convenient. We approached a left turn at a stoplight. We signaled that we were heading into the turning lane when a car approached us. The driver (a man) loudly berated us, yelling us to go onto the biking trail and get off the road. His car was filled with children. If he's familiar enough with the area to know there's a biking path nearby (which is short and poorly maintained), he should be familiar enough to know the area is frequented by cyclists on weekends. We politely asked him to share the road (we were mindful of the rules of the road), as he continued to berate us. What sort of example was he setting for his kids?

I was once also biking on a trail (the Washington & Old Dominion Trail - known as the W & OD - a rail to trail conversion) out in Loudoun County. I was approaching a road crossing. I saw an approaching car, but seeing his speed, and seeing my speed (I was descending down a hill), I knew I would cross in plenty of time. Mind you, I probably should have stopped at the road crossing. I agree. I do not recall if there was a cyclist stop sign (although there likely was). Needless to say, I must have given the driver a bit of a scare. He proceeded to follow me as the trail and the road paralled one another. He yelled at me, "I could have hit you, bitch!" Now I was scared. In a moment of anger, I told him to get off his ass and ride a bike, which granted, was not intelligent. Was he going to come after me? Needless to say, I was relieved when I did not see him again.

As a rule, I obey the rules of the road. It's about safety. There is no way I will win a battle versus a car from my bicycle.