Letters to the Editor

Sharing experience

In Ken Burger's recent column titled "The rules apply to you, dude," he made some very valid points about cyclists not following the rules of the road.

However, I'd like to point out a few things where I disagree.

Although I can't say for certain, I'm pretty sure the bike enthusiasts he refers to who "demand that the road be shared" are usually folks who routinely ride their bikes and have had negative experiences while biking.

We -- I'm proud to include myself in the bike enthusiast group -- ask that motorists share the road and look out for cyclists. Either something has happened to us or we know of someone who was hurt or even killed while biking in South Carolina.

By no means do I condone the behavior of cyclists who go the wrong way up a one-way street, ride more than two abreast, ride on sidewalks, go through lights, zig-zag, etc.

Mr. Burger had a great idea when he suggested resources be used to ticket cyclists and enforce the rules of the road. Education is key and without educating people about the proper ways to cycle, this will continue to be a problem.

But this also goes for motorists. Mr. Burger admitted to occasionally almost hitting other cars while squeezing past cyclists.

I'd like to remind him and other motorists that the law states, "A driver of a motor vehicle must at all times maintain a safe operating distance between the motor vehicle and a bicycle."

If he were following the rules of the road, he would not be close to hitting another car to avoid a cyclist.

So Mr. Burger, you said it best -- the rules apply to you, dude.

Betsy R. Sidebottom

Triathlete and bike commuter

Hagood Avenue

Charleston

Whose fault?

Ken Burger's Sept. 22 column describes an incident where he was "pulling out of a parking lot, wanting to make a right turn, looking left for oncoming traffic" when a cyclist pedaling on the sidewalk from the right hit his auto. Burger was not at fault because the cyclist was on the sidewalk.

I wonder if he would be at fault if the cyclist were on the street, pedaling against traffic.

True, the cyclist would not have been following the rules of the road, but Burger would not have been entirely fault free either.

As a runner, I have often encountered motorists who, upon entering the roadway, either from a driveway, parking lot, or street, look left for oncoming traffic but don't even glance to the right for pedestrians.

A few times while running on sidewalks, there were red lights which the motorists ignored, merely slowing down, before making right turns.

I have learned that many motorists do this (don't look left and don't completely stop), so I'm more careful now.

I don't suppose there's a law requiring a motorist to look both ways before entering a cross road, but there is a law requiring motorists to recognize that a pedestrian has the right of way at an intersection.

True, a pedestrian or a runner can more easily stop to avoid getting hit, but if he's running fast he could be going as fast as a slow cyclist on the sidewalk.

Irving S. Rosenfeld

Simpkins Street

James Island

Blocking tactics

I could not agree more with Ken Burger's Sept. 22 article and the letter to the editor in the Sept. 23 Post and Courier. There are also others who agree.

For the last several months I have had an ongoing discussion with Charleston police about a similar problem in Hampton Park. Groups walk three to five abreast in the middle of the road, a couple jogs in the middle of the road while pushing a baby carriage and two girls jog with their dogs.

It's not that these occur on the straightaways, they occur in the blind curves around the park and you don't see them until you're on top of them. Then they look at you as if the driver is at fault.

When you go around them and toot your horn they curse at you and give you the one-finger salute. Also, bikers have no regard for the rules of the road (stop signs, etc.).

I know the police have a full plate, but this is the transportation team's area of responsibility. Through repeated e-mails and phone conversations with Officer Francis Searson the problem is somewhat better but it still occurs almost daily.

In my last e-mail with Officer Searson he wanted to know why this had become such an issue with me because there had been no recent accidents in the park. My response was that I was being proactive in an effort to see that one does not occur. I would hate to see a baby in a carriage get run over.

Vehicles are required to obey the law and so should pedestrians and bikers. I hope and expect that they will continue to monitor and enforce the laws.

Bill Folk

8th Avenue

Charleston

Cyclists and cars

Ken Burger's Sept. 22 column addresses some important issues when it comes to cycling in South Carolina. He is correct in bringing the attention of law enforcement to this issue and revealing that there are significant road design problems involved in the accommodation of bicycles, particularly in Charleston.

Burger begins his article correctly by distinguishing law-abiding cyclists from those who disobey traffic laws, but he is wrong when he continues his argument by stereotyping cyclists as either distracted students or spandex-clad road warriors.

Indeed, there are irresponsible cyclists who need to slow down and obey traffic laws, but Burger and other like-minded road travelers need to remember that these cyclists do not represent all users of bicycles.

There are responsible folks out there riding safely and lawfully, and organizations throughout the state trying to promote these values. Every time you see a car run a red light, do you pass judgment upon all motor vehicle drivers as violators of the law? Probably not. Then why translate a similar judgment upon all cyclists?

To address this issue it is going to take considerably more action than simply announcing "the rules apply to you, dude" or the profanities and insults that I often hear from motorists while on my bicycle.

There needs to be a major shift in thinking and planning toward an acceptance of bicycles as equal transport, granted the same rights and subject to the same rules as motor vehicles (as it is stated in S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-3420).

Bicycling is quickly becoming a more popular mode of transportation and recreation, a status that is only going to grow in its appeal in years to come. We must, cyclists and motorists alike, embrace this change and work together to make our roads safer for all.

Rachael Kefalos

Executive Director

Palmetto Cycling Coalition

Pickens Street

Columbia

Respect each other

Ken Burger's recent column on bicyclists who violate the law conveys valid points that are, unfortunately, annulled by his attempt to emotionally engage and entertain his readers, rather than inform them.

Some relatively recent news on this topic does deserve attention. Specifically, note the improvement of traffic law as pertains to bicycles in South Carolina.

I recommend readers take a few moments to review this law at the Palmetto Cycling Coalition's Website: www.pccsc.net/bikelaws.php.

On Nov. 7, Peter Wilborn of mybikelaw.com and I will teach a course designed to encourage legal and safe bicycle transport in Charleston. It will be based on a League of American Bicyclists (LAB) curriculum and will encourage what is known as vehicular bicycling.

This simply means that one should operate a bicycle the way one operates any other vehicle. There is a reason the law follows this tenet. It is the safest arrangement for everybody involved.

Yes, some bicyclists will continue to ride illegally, just as some motorists will continue to drive illegally. Law enforcement will change the behavior of some in both groups, but that is not the most effective solution.

Leading by example and educating others, instead of inciting conflict and insulting each other, will improve the situation for all road users.

If you ride a bicycle most of the time, try driving through downtown during a busy time of day every now and then. If you drive a car most of the time, try riding a bicycle to work on occasion.

If we regulate ourselves and respect each other, just imagine what might follow. Just imagine what might follow if we do not.

Brad Jaynes

Sanford Road

Charleston