Dr. Gridlock: Passing Cyclist Pushed Quest for Respect Back a Few Miles

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Adjacent to your column [Commuter page, June 14] was an article on sharing street space safely. I was disappointed to see missing the situation that I find most annoying and dangerous.

Scenario: I am driving along a lovely two-lane road. (There are many; let's use Hunter Mill Road as our example.) I approach a cyclist and patiently follow until I can swing out wide and pass. Not too far after, I come to a stoplight.

While we wait for the green, the cyclist passes all the waiting cars, sometimes running through the red light. Now the cyclist is first again, and all of us have to putt along behind until we can pass again. This seems wrong and dangerous.

Melanie Snyder, Vienna

Cyclists on the roadway must follow the same rules as cars, says the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. (No one should be going through a red light.) In most parts of the region, bicyclists are allowed to switch from street to sidewalk and back, as long as they are following the rules in each case, such as yielding to pedestrians on sidewalks.

The rules are mainly about safety. But following them also is a way to gain the respect of drivers and pedestrians. Now, some cyclists will respond to that by saying, "What about us? Don't we deserve respect from them?"

Of course that's true, but many of the cyclists I know are crusaders for their cause, and they're still struggling for full recognition of their rights on the streets and for their share of transportation resources. Eric Gilliland, executive director of the bicyclist association, appeared before the region's Transportation Planning Board on Wednesday to argue that cycling trails are not getting their fair share of the federal stimulus money destined for transportation.

Cyclists who really believe that cycling should be part of the mainstream of America's transportation should not only assert their individual rights to the road but also do what it takes to gain the support of other travelers.