Letters to the Editor - Retrospective on bikes - Retrospective on bikes

    My 10-year-old daughter was delighted to finally get permission to ride her bike on the street this summer after proving that she understood the rules of the road. Unfortunately there have been many events that have ruined her happiness, namely on many occasions cars have come cruising down the middle of the road and even though she was on theright side someone in the car would yell, "Get the <bleep> off the street."

    Let us remember that cars, motorcycles and bicycles are expected to share the streets. Cars do not get special privileges because they are bigger and faster. Though the law is not enforced, bicyclers are expected to ride on the streets and are expected to be treated as small, slow moving cars. And, to be fair, it is expected that bicyclers follow all the rules of traffic including stopping at stop signs and lights, staying on the right side of the road, signaling turns and making turns from the appropriate lane. Cars are expected to drive with them and pull around them with as much care and caution as any other car.

    I rode bicycles as transportation until I was 27. I was pushed off by a bus, I went up over the trunk of a car that stopped suddenly when a van pull out in front of it, I asked drivers who had their windows open if they would help me make a left turn, driving behind me so other cars wouldn't whip around me. Disregard of bikes and bicyclers is old news. So is coping, but I don't want my 10-year-old to have to deal with that just yet. Life is short, but not so short that we can't take a little extra time on the road to be certain that everyone around us on the road is safe. That makes life better and safer for everyone.

Anne Peiffer

Victory