“The biking problem is just getting worse and worse.”
Tuesday morning I went to my normal spot for coffee and croissants and couldn’t help but overhear a passionate, opinionated conversation about biking in Louisville. The above quote was part of that conversation. It broke my heart a little bit that the speaker wasn’t referencing accidents involving cyclists but instead was just talking about cyclists being on the road at all. “There are more and more of them everywhere” she said. She and her companions proceeded to talk about the “burden” cyclists present to motorists. They also threw about a whole litany of myths about how cyclists should or should not behave on the roadways (“Get on the sidewalk!”).
I should have interjected myself into their conversation but I was on my way to the WFPL studio so I was in a bit of a rush. I should have said “No! Bicycles are vehicles and are part of traffic. They most certainly shouldn’t be on the sidewalk.” I should have also said “Cyclists have every right to take up as much of the lane as they need to keep themselves safe from car doors and other hazards.”
I feel bad that I didn’t engage in this conversation because I was in a hurry. I feel like I, and you, have to take every opportunity we find to talk about making cycling in Louisville safer. Overhearing this random group of people chatting in the Highlands so aggressively about cyclists just makes me even more aware of how much work there is to be done.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:26 am
This is really tragic. It amazes me that people don’t understand the dangers of bikers riding on sidewalks (think right-turning cars and pedestrians turning corners, etc). There’s a reason why its illegal.
I think its high-time for drivers to become better educated on cycling laws. Its a shame that this isn’t covered very well during Driver’s Ed or even permit and driver’s license tests.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Unfortunately, it seems that people from all demographics across Louisville don’t know or understand bike safety and bike laws. This is why I’m glad we have Bicycling for Louisville working to educate people on issues like these.
http://www.bicyclingforlouisville.org
October 18th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
How about you take your hobby to the park where the danger is minimized for everyone?
October 18th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Hello “Driver”,
If you’ve been reading my Biking in Louisville series you’ll know that I very much want to find compassionate and pragmatic solutions for cyclists and motorists in Louisville. I’m afraid your solution is neither compassionate nor pragmatic. Since both the state of Kentucky and the city of Louisville consider biking to be a viable form of transportation your desire to relabel biking a hobby isn’t realistic and truthfully I really don’t understand it. Because a cyclist may delay your arrival by a few minutes you don’t think they should be on the road? I honestly don’t understand so please enlighten me to your line of thinking on this.
Your car gets you from place A to B. My bike gets me from A to B, gives me exercise, gives me a great view of the city and doesn’t burn any fossil fuels. In my mind that puts biking when possible instead of driving firmly in the win column and makes it an outstanding form of transportation. I’ll be waiting anxiously for you to explain to me why you think I’m wrong in this assessment.
Best,
Michelle
PS please consider using your real name. Let’s have an honest conversation between real people instead of snideness and snark hiding behind fake identities.
October 21st, 2008 at 11:40 am
I have been commuting by bike from Iroquois Park to UofL for about 7 years. Before that it was Highlands to UofL and before that it was Lexington Road to UofL. I NEVER use main roads when a parallel side street is available, so I have a route that crosses main streets at a light, but is 90% sidestreets.
In almost 99% of that time I have NO big mishaps with drivers until the last year or so. I blame that increase of driver hostility on drivers angry about gas prices and naive, uniformed neo-bike riders who push their buttons with defiant, indifferent, or inconsiderate riding tactics.
Everyone that is in motion in trying to get somewhere. Your job, whether driver, biker, or pedestrian is go where you go providing courtesy and allowing traffic to flow.
In my route I see drivers pass too close to bikers. I see bikers run red lights. I see bikers nearly run over pedestrians while on campus. I see pedestrians and drivers so transported with their headphones and cell phones they can’t be paying attention to what they’re doing.
In my opinion, the driver vs biker issue is just a part of a much bigger problem of incivility and discourtesy in our culture. When we stop trying to stop other people and start trying to help each other, we will start seeing less confrontations and accidents.