Saturday, September 14, 2013

Confessions of a Cyclist

I admit it.  As a cyclist I don't always follow the rules of the road.  The above photo is an example.  It is looking north on the Date Palm I-10 Overpass that is under construction.  Rather than stay on the restricted roadway, I rode around the barriers on the closed section so that I could be away from car traffic, which made for a considerably safer crossing.  Further down the road, the shoulder ends on the north-bound lane. There exists a wide shoulder on the south-bound side and against the "rules of the road" I crossed over and rode north on the shoulder facing oncoming traffic, which is much safer than if I had stayed on the north-bound lane.  The first five stop signs I came to on today's ride I rode through without stopping, since there were no motorists in sight.  If no one saw me, did I do wrong?  Did it even happen?
When I am in traffic I am respectful toward motorists and obey the "rules of the road."  My own safety is of prime importance to me.  I know that if I make a mistake or a driver makes a mistake it could be deadly for me and most likely just an inconvenience for the motorist.  The above photo is looking south on Cook toward the intersection with Dinah Shore.  Note the two right turn lanes ahead, the first into the strip mall and the second at the intersection.  This is a common route for me as a cyclist and a place where I often experience rude and dangerous motorists.  Some drivers don't seem to understand that by the rules of the road, if I am going straight, I use the through lane and not the right hand turn lanes.  I get to stay to the right of the through lane allowing drivers going straight to pass me on my left and drivers turning right to pass me on the right. Often it is the right turn drivers that can't seem to figure out how to pass me on the right from their own lane and feel it is best to pass me on the left and then cut in front of me causing me to jam my brakes, as they yell obscenities at me and/or honk their horn.  I could go on about the rudeness of some motorists and their dangerous ways.  The reason for this discourse is to make the point that it isn't always about the cyclist being the cause of problems on the roads, we are just the ones who pay the most when things go wrong. Drivers... sometimes it is worth considering taking your foot off the gas for just a moment when passing cyclists and if you are hauling a trailer wider than the vehicle you are driving, then remember to give a wider berth to cyclists.

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