Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Start SEEING Bicycles

by Jennifer Poenix

There are people who ride their bikes to work every day. Not me, but some people.

If you regularly listen to "A Talk on the Wild Side" on Tuesday mornings, you know that natural resources professor Harry Hutchins often rides his bike to KAXE and then on to his job at Itasca Community College.

This morning, Harry told of trying to turn left off Highway 38 at a four-way stop. I know that four-way stop. It's crazy busy every weekday morning, partially due to traffic going to the Grand Rapids High School. A driver nearly hit Harry.

Bicyclists seem to be more common than they used to be, which I see as a great thing. More power to folks who opt to use their own selves rather than gas powered vehicles to get around. However, the roads can be a dangerous place. Drivers aren't being quite as cautious as they could be.

Here are some great guidelines for sharing the road with bicyclists.

The main thing to remember, especially now that summer is here, is to be aware of bicycles on the road.

Coincidentally, the topic for this Saturday's "Between You and Me" is bicycling. Let us know where you ride, how safe you feel, and any other ideas about bicycling you have to share. Our guest hosts are Michael Goldberg and Gail Otteson. The show airs from 10am-noon this Saturday.

1 comment:

Harvey said...

I have a 6-mile commute and ride nearly every day, year-round. I'm fortunate to have a very quiet urban route. Most of my adrenaline rushes are due to slippage on snowy surfaces and an occasional fall on ice, but I have had a few conflicts with motorists who seem to resent having to share the road with a bike.