Earth to north county: Bikes aren't going away
It never fails. If the Getting There Monday column deals with bicycles, it inevitably inspires emails lamenting the fact that bicyclists have the gall to actually use the roads. For some reason, it seems that about 99 percent of these messages emanate from northern Baltimore County, where the peculiar notion has taken hold that the roads are for the use of motor vehicles only.
There's one little flaw with this premise: It's not true. From the time Maryland roads were first paved, they have been open to bicycles, farm equipment, buggies and all manner of slow-moving vehicles (except for interstates and a limited number of other limited-access highways).
The variation I hear most on this theme is that bicyclists should not be permitted to use narrow roads without shoulders. Why? Because motorists have to slow down and are dreadfully inconvenienced.
Here's one that came in today:
"Bicyclists should not be allowed to bike on a road that does not have a bike path or shoulder to the road. In Sparks, we have to be on the alert at all times for deer on the road, and there have been innumerable accidents when the deer and a car can't both fit on the road. The deer don't know any better - the bicyclists do. Bicyclists should be limited to bike paths."
I'm sure there isn't a bicyclist in Maryland who wouldn't love to have a wide, debris-free shoulder or parallel bike path along every country road in the state. But it's not going to happen. The cost would be enormous. In many cases these are low-traffic roads where there is no need to add pavement just so a few impatient drivers never experience a delay. Sure, when a road is rebuilt, it makes sense to add a bicycle lane, but retrofitting the entire highway system is a non-starter.
The same correspondent wrote that bikes should be banned from the roads because they surprise her when she comes around a curve or over a hill. Sorry, but drivers are expected to cope with life's little surprises -- not that the presence of a bicycle in Baltimore County is exactly headline news. If a driver is startled by the sight of a bicyclist riding along the road in a legal manner, chances are the driver is going to fast for road conditions. It's not the bicyclist's fault that the driver is surprised.
Sharing the road with bicyclists is a basic driving skill and a legal duty for motorists. People who can't cope with that reality shouldn't be driving. Because bicycles aren't going away. It's a fantasy. You might as well propose banning rain on weekends.
One of the better things about this country is that it's very difficult to take rights away from people. They have a way of fighting back.
So for all those people who harbor the fantasy that bicycles can be banned from their local roads, here's a suggestion: Contact your local legislator and ask that person to introduce a bill curtailing the rights of bicyclists to use whichever class of roads you are tired of sharing.
If you find a politician foolish enough to put in such a bill, head down to Annapolis and sign up to testify at the hearing. It would be great theater, but you'd better get an early start because the capital city would be choked with bikes. Annapolis would be a sea of Spandex. The committee room would be overflowing with irate bicyclists reminding lawmakers thet they pay taxes too. You might even get a chance to meet Lance Armstrong.
Or those folks in the north county could just get a grip, slow down a little and pass bicyclists with care. It's a beautiful part of Maryland, and folks on two wheels have a right to enjoy it too.
Comments
I think this is a great article. I think that most places need to understand that biking is here to stay. I ride my bike from 2wheelbikes.com everyday and I'm planning on doing so until my legs fall off :)
Posted by: joejeronimo | November 1, 2010 7:40 PM
Here'a a good one, while legally commuting by bicycle the other day I had a driver following me lay on his horn for a good two blocks (I'm going 18 mph on a 30 mph street with no bike lane). When I stopped to see what he wanted, he informed me that I had no place to go and should get off the road, it wasn't a bike lane. I don't know why he concluded I had no place to go, I figured that like me, he was heading to his job. If he hadn't been so rude, we both would have gotten there sooner. He explained I should be courteous and get out of his way. I found his driving with his horn to be a rather odd way of delivering a message about manners.
Posted by: JRMjr | November 1, 2010 9:00 PM
Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to fight obesity, reduce global warming, reduce medical insurance costs, extend life expectancy, lower your taxes and reduce pollution? Oh, wait, there is, it's called cycling. And to all those people that think the US roads are not wide enough for cyclists, it seems every other major power in the world can handle cyclists on narrower roads. Maybe that 9 passenger vehicle is the problem, not the cyclist.
Posted by: Terry | November 1, 2010 9:06 PM
Reminds me of a 'discussion' I had recently with a horsewoman. She decried the 'arrogance' of cyclist daring to ride on her roads in the Hereford area of the county. Seems the cyclists interfered with her ability to navigate the country lanes with her 1-ton pickup truck and horse trailer required for her to tend to her hobby! Imagine that......
Posted by: galen | November 1, 2010 9:55 PM
All I ask of bicyclists is that they obey all traffic laws. This includes stopping at a red light until it turns green. I love it when I follow a bicyclist for miles and we both stop at a red light. I think now when the light changes I can get past the bike. Nope. As soon no cars are visible off goes the bike through the light. This isn't a lack of common curtesy as in I'll wait at the light and let the long line of cars go past. This is breaking the law.
Posted by: Mark | November 2, 2010 8:18 AM
I wonder, too, how many times your correspondent has been "surprised" by a bicyclist - because he/she was paying more attention to his/her cell phone than the road ahead.
Posted by: Chris | November 2, 2010 9:07 AM
Am I missing something? While the motorist is watching for deer, why would they be unable to see bicyclists? The only difference that I can figure is that motorists can hit a deer and leave it in the road without impunity.
I work in Sparks, by the way, and during most lunch breaks I like to walk a little. You know....check out the flora and fauna and escape the sound of my coworkers voices. I walk on the unpaved "shoulder" of the road and it would scare the stuffin' out of you to know how many drivers act as though pedestrians have no right on the road, either.
Posted by: Eve | November 2, 2010 11:04 AM
I never noticed the northern Baltimore County trend when reading bike columns and comments before. But if it makes cyclists feel any better, the attitude is not specific to you. Drive around Hunt Valley or Hereford often enough (in a car), and you'll come to realize that the locals have a grand sense of entitlement when behind the wheel and pretty much do what they want. They bully drivers, too -- not just cyclists.
Posted by: GmanGmate | November 2, 2010 11:16 AM
Excellent points. I'm shocked that there isn't any angry discussion going on here...maybe the people who are so offended by bikes can't offer a rebuttal to your comments?
Posted by: MarkT | November 2, 2010 11:59 AM
I can't even begin to express the dismay I see constantly as being a cyclist. Even when in my car and watching the treatment of other cyclists while they ride.
I've personally nearly been run off the road numerous times, not to mention I know several people that have actually been hit by cars while on the bike. Each time it was the motorists fault for failing to yield to a bicycle that had the right of way. Really, it's pathetic, and it probably won't be until some poor soul gets killed by an over entitled soccer mom in her oversized Suburban who was talking on her cell phone before some real laws will be put in effect to protect cyclists from these morons.
Posted by: Scott Cover | November 2, 2010 12:51 PM
Motorists need a reminder: The speed limit is the maximum speed allowed, not the minimum.
Posted by: AviationMetalSmith | November 2, 2010 2:35 PM
Well if there is no path make one and if they need special bikes for riding than have that be the law. only bikes for certain terrain allowed on the path. Bikers know to ware reflectors and they do know better. They have great mountain bikes for sale at www.2wheelbikes.com
Posted by: bellyrex | November 2, 2010 4:44 PM