His letter began by describing all the horrible things he has suffered from motorists - getting run off the road, having beer bottles thrown at him, even physical assaults. It's a wonder he is still alive. He said that he originally responded to unintentional threats to his safety by calmly notifying the offender. I got the sense from his note that he later lost patience, and now treats these offenders quite harshly. He rides in an assertive, even aggresive style that may well be perceived by motorists as obnoxious. Exactly what I meant.

Many cyclists develop similar attitudes towards motorists. Motorists, of course, are not pleased with this attitude, since most of them are tolerant and careful around cyclists. A lousy situation.

How can we stop this vicious circle? We must all act with a degree of civility. Further, we must understand each other's point of view. This shouldn't be so difficult, since most cyclists are also motorists, and perhaps half of all motorists ride a bicycle at least occasionally.

Cyclists should understand that their particular activity, unlike most recreational activities, causes inconvenience to others. That cyclists have a legal right to ride on roads is irrelevant. Cyclists should try to minimize the inconvenience. Commit the occasional act of kindness, react calmly to inevitable driver errors.

And obey traffic laws. At least to the extent that motorists obey them.

Motorists should understand that cyclists are extremely vulnerable to small driving errors and acts of impatience, not to mention road rage and drunk drivers. Things that motorists do to other motorists that are merely annoying may be perceived by cyclists as acts of attempted vehicular homicide.

I was riding down my own road one day when an impatient driver passed me and then immediately tried to turn into her driveway, sending me into the weeds. She apologized by saying "Get on the trail, you idiot!" Many motorists simply don't understand why cyclists ride on roads. There are many reasons in addition to getting to the bike trail as I was doing on that particular day. After riding the bike trail a few hundred times, as wonderful as it may be, it can get a bit tiresome. It is dangerous to go fast on a crowded trail. Group riding is definitely not appropriate on a bike trail. Many cyclists actually use their bikes for basic transportation, to get to places that trails don't go.

Why must cyclists ride in groups? Well, they do it partly for safety, partly for comraderie, and partly because cycle racing requires group cycling skills. If you see such a group on a busy road, be assured that they will soon turn off. If you get behind one on a narrow road, well, you may have to count to ten or something. Think about how pleasant it is in your car; the cyclists are out there huffing and puffing - you don't need to punish them further!

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Curt Austin maintains the web pages for the Queen City Wheels at www.qcw.org and can be reached at curt@AustinImage.com.

© 1998, Curt Austin