Ah, summer. The dark months of winter have passed (although, really, winters in Denver aren’t really that dark) and the fair-weather cyclists have emerged from their winter cocoons. While it’s nice to see other cyclists out and about on the roads and trails, I can’t help but feel that my “territory” is being invaded by rogue cyclists that have appeared out of the depths of cold weather.

Tracy Halasinski

And, with the nicer weather comes some bad behavior on the behalf of cyclists and motorists alike. On the cyclist front, the nicer weather has brought out a lot of sidewalk cyclists, or those cyclists who feel “safer” on the sidewalk than out on the street in traffic. This presents a lot of danger to both the cyclist and the motor vehicles, as drivers are not expecting to see bicyclists on the sidewalk. Especially dangerous is the cyclist riding the wrong way on the sidewalk. A motorist pulling out of a parking lot or driveway is generally looking in the street for oncoming traffic and is not expecting a bicyclist to cross their path on the sidewalk, especially against traffic. And, in case you didn’t know, it is illegal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk in Denver. Ordinance 54-576 prohibits bicycling on sidewalks except “…where the sidewalk is part of a designated bicycle route.” When a sidewalk is part of a designated bicycle route, bike route signs are posted. Of course, when tickets aren’t issued to sidewalk cyclists, there is no reason for the practice to stop.

Other bad cyclist behavior on multi-use paths is buzzing by pedestrians without an audible warning. That’s the thing about shared-use paths: multiple user types can create conflict. Faster users like cyclists need to yield to slower users like pedestrians. Really, it’s just common courtesy. I know that many of our area shared-use paths present excellent opportunities for high-speed training, but there is a time and place for that, and Saturday afternoon on the Cherry Creek Trail near downtown is not one of them. And, just be nice. If you’re not going to alert me that you’re passing on my left as you pass me like I’m standing still, at least say hello. It always cracks me up when I see the racer types go by me, scowling and grimacing, as I thought that riding bicycles was supposed to be fun.

It wouldn’t be a pro-bicycling article/column without at least one motorist rant. While we all have our horror stories about encounters with motorists, I think the most responsible thing we can do as cyclists is to be predictable and follow traffic laws. I don’t mean to preach, be righteous or come across as some sort of safety Hun, because I’ve been yelled at plenty of times while riding within my rights as a cyclist. I think a vigorous motorist education campaign is in order so that drivers know that bicyclists have a right to the road and they shouldn’t be on the sidewalk “get on the sidewalk” seems to be one of the more frequent insults hurled by motorists). A recent article examining why Canadians cycle more than Americans (despite the colder weather in Canada) points out that Canada offers a wide range of cycling courses for all age groups through the national cycling education program. In addition, all school children in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands participate in mandatory safe cycling training. Invariably, most of these children grow up and become drivers at some point, and the cycling training invariably leads to increased awareness of cyclists on the part of drivers.

One of the benefits of higher gas prices is that more people are looking to bicycling to cut fuel costs as well as to increase health. The cycling community needs to do all it can to promoting cycling as a viable form of transportation. It’s cheap, it’s sustainable, it’s good for you and it’s fun! More cyclists on the road present more potential for conflict with motorists, which is why it is important to get the word out to bicyclists and motorists about lawful behavior and the expectation that enforcement will occur when the need arises. More cyclists also equate to more voices on behalf of cycling, which is also important to ensure that cyclist’s rights are respected and our voices are heard.

But, really, the bottom line is: get out there and ride and have fun!

by Tracy Halasinski, BikeDenver VP External Communications

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