Riley Siddoway: No cycling fatalities
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Steamboat Springs — As one of Steamboat's "special" cyclists, I was taken aback by Jack Horner's letter to the editor published June 17.
What Horner fails to recognize is the reason why he is supposed to watch out for cyclists. When paired against each other, a 180-pound cyclist (bike included) against a 5,000-pound truck will lose every time if the motorist does not pay attention or give us a little more room. Remember, we are expected to ride on an area of the road that is sometimes no more that six inches wide. Most times we do but sometimes we can't.
As a cyclist and a motorist, I pay my taxes, which gives me full rights to use our roads and highways. Unfortunately, some Steamboat roads don't have much of a shoulder. For safety reasons, this forces a cyclist to ride outside of the white line or even in the road. This is not to cause problems for motorists but to protect our very lives. I am sure if Horner was riding his horse on the roadside, he would want motorists to pay attention to him and his horse. As a cyclist, I expect the same. My reason is simple, I don't want to be hit and killed by a vehicle.
Each year, more and more cyclists are killed by motorists who aren't paying attention while driving. My life is special to me. I for one don't want to be the next cycling fatality statistic just because I am an inconvenience to a guy driving a truck who can't be patient for 30 more seconds as a car passes in the other lane.
I always try to make the best use of the road's shoulder and try to avoid causing motorists problems. If I had my way, I would want thousands of miles of cyclist-specific paved paths so I wouldn't even need to encounter vehicles. I don't think Horner wants an increase in his taxes so I am off "his highway" and have my own paved biking paths. While riding my bike, I have had too many close calls with vehicles seeing just how close they can get to me without hitting me.
So when the day comes as Horner foretells, it is a choice between his truck and horses or a cyclist. I, for mine and my fellow cyclists' sake, hope he is a little more patient and gives the cyclist a little room. The last time I looked, killing a person with a vehicle is called vehicular homicide. So if, heaven forbid, Horner kills a cyclist with his vehicle, I hope he will be ready to enjoy watching horses from his new home in a prison cell.
Comments
jchapmanld 5 years, 11 months ago
Bravo, Riley. It's a shame that people like Jack Horner don't have any patience, but it's even more disappointing that they use choleric threats and use repeated childish references to try and make a point. Let's hope he eats some crow and apologizes for considering (inadvertently) taking another person's life.
dundalk 5 years, 10 months ago
Having common sense goes a long way. On Saturday morning, my husband and I were traveling down Walton Creek. Much to my dismay, I had the sad luck to be stuck behind the "polite," "law abiding", "spandex monkeys" that were zipping down Walton Creek. I might add that I was doing the speed limit, and the bikers were not. As we approached the hoard of riders, it struck me that after all the pontificating that has been going on this forum since my friend Jack's letter hit the print last Sunday, not one of these silly bikers were abiding to the state law. Riding in a pack, three abreast, and all in the road, they seemed oblivious to my SUV coasting off their wind.
Now, I could have been a real *&^$ )&% and wailed on my horn, but no, I was trying in vain to be the better person. Not one of these suicidal maniacs appeared to give a hoot about a large SUV coming up behind them. Not one of these maniac bikers yielded, or returned to the LEGAL single file that the laws of Colorado dictate.
It appeared to me the sort of behavior one might see from an antagonist. Finally, when almost to Hwy 40, did one of the future brain donors look over his shoulder and pull over to the right side of the road. Like a bunch of ants, the hoard finally relented to single file. I saw no hand signals, no courtesy which some on this forum insist is par for the avid bike rider. All I witnessed were stupid and careless behavior on the side of the biker.
So, the avid bike nazis that want Jack Horner's head on a platter might want to first examine if they are void of stain before calling Jack's place of employment and threatening him.
Brian Watterson 5 years, 10 months ago
Bravo dundalk ! Once again, the right to use the road is not in question. The point is to follow the law and have some common courtesy.
madmoores 5 years, 10 months ago
Anyone try going up Rabbit Ears on Sunday morning? What a nightmare. It took over an hour just to get to the Walden turnoff. Cops were everywhere waiting to bust the outlaw motorist but do you think they were doing anything about the right, and sometimes left lane going uphill being blocked by bikers? Traffic at times behind me was 10 cars long and I was trying to go fast enough to get the rig out of my trunk AND slow enough not to whack a non-thinking biker. Downhill traffic was going way to fast and uphill traffic was slowed to the breakneck speed of 10mph in most places. Pulling out into the downhill lane was not what I had in mind for Sunday carnage on my part and I had to crowd alot of them so as not to be hit. I recieved some "compliments" from the bikers for doing so but saved me and my passengers lives in the process. I'm guessing here, but is it going to take a group of these people getting plowed over to make them realize that using some common sense and not some entitlement "I pay taxes to" crap that will get them to the side of the road? I have no problems with those that follow the law, riding single file, nor do I have a problem with them riding further out into the road as long as they MOVE OVER when traffic is pursuing them. Use your head, follow the law and letters to the editor like those that keep coming up would not be necessary.
corduroy 5 years, 10 months ago
Actually the cops were riding WITH the group for their protection. None of the officers were interested in pulling over vehicles. They were mainly there to keep the peace and make sure no one got injured. (I did see a rider down and I can't imagine that sort of pain, I'm not brave enough to come flying down that pass!)
I'll agree with you however that many fail to observe the "single file" signs I saw put up (this was for Ride the Rockies, not the current bike event) The problem is, not all the bikers in the US or Colorado read the paper, our paper, or maybe even no paper at all. Your comments, while all possibly useful, aren't going to reach them, so don't expect change just from some letters to the editor, and web comments.
I don't agree with bike licenses (just another way for the state to soak money out of people) but I do think that more bikers should be more informed. Ignorance to road laws doesn't make it ok to not use hand signals etc. If you can think of a way for all bikers to actually get this knowledge, let me know. I'd be really curious.
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