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It seems that nearly every day, somewhere on the roads in the Columbus area, I see bicycle riders tempting fate by riding in the street during rush hour. I respect the fact that their mode of transportation is more environmentally friendly than mine. I respect the fact that they have every legal right to ride their bicycles on the public streets. I also make every effort to give them a wide berth and do nothing that might result in their injury. And contrary to how it may sound, I'm perfectly happy to share the road with them. More than anything, I'm actually concerned about their safety and that of the motorists near them. Why? Consider the following.
During rush hour, there are more cars and trucks on the roads than at any other time of day. If you notice the motorists around you during rush hour, you'll see them talking on cell phones, freshening their makeup, talking to their passengers, etc. They're also watching what the other cars are doing (hopefully). Even for those in other cars (maybe especially for those in other cars), it's a dangerous time to be on the road. Add a bicyclist to the mix, and the danger factor (especially for the cyclist) increases significantly. Impatient motorists wanting to get home a bit sooner will swerve around the cyclist, into the oncoming traffic lane or perhaps unexpectedly into the left-hand lane of a two-lane roadway. This increases the risk of a head-on collision or side-to-side collision, which also greatly increases the risk of injury to the cyclist. The cyclist on a busy roadway during rush hour is a threat to his or her own safety and to that of those around him/her. (As I noted above, I respect that they have every legal right to be there, I'm merely stating that they may not realize the risk they pose to themselves and others by merely being there.) Part of my concern for bicyclists' safety comes from the fact that few of them are operating their bicycles in accordance with Ohio Law. Page 61 of the Digest of Motor Vehicle Laws for the State of Ohio describes the laws relating to the sharing of public roadways with motor vehicles. One of the first points it makes is that bicyclists are "required to obey all traffic signs, signals and pavement markings" and "must use appropriate hand signals before turning or stopping". The last few times I've seen bicyclists this week, these two rules were not followed. One ran through an intersection that was very definitely red. All but one made turns without signaling in any way. Another was riding in the middle of a lane on a 45 mph stretch of roadway in spite of the regulation that bicyclists should only "travel in the middle of the lane if they are proceeding at the same speed as the rest of the traffic". She was managing about 15 mph on in that lane (though she did at least provide proper hand signals). Traffic was beginning to pile up behind her and motorists were becoming very irritated. I've also seen several bicyclists make very rude hand gestures or shout at motorists when they pass the slower-moving bicyclists, in spite of the fact that the law states that bicyclists may be passed "only when it can be done safely" and that the motorist must "maintain a 'safety zone' of approximately three feet between the car and the bicyclist". Bicyclists need to realize that while they have the right to be on the public roads, motorists also have every right to pass them if they feel they can do so safely. The bicyclists may not like it, but it's the law and it's a fact of life. It's one of the risks they take when operating a bicycle on busy public roadways. It's clear that bicyclists face some pretty serious risks on the road. According to 2001 statistics for New York City motor vehicle accidents, there were 3,754 motor vehicle accidents involving bicyclists that year (representing 3.3% of all motor vehicle accidents that year). Of those 15 (0.4%) resulted in the death of the bicyclist. In 3,686 (98%) of those cases, the bicyclist was injured. A study by the Trauma Foundation indicated that in the San Francisco area, 21 of the 29 crashes involving motor vehicles and bicycles occurred on four streets, recognized as some of the busiest in the area (Market, Van Ness, Golden Gate, and Mission). These statistics would seem to indicate that bicycling on busy streets is at the very least a risky proposition from a "potential for injury" standpoint (if there's a car accident, 3.3% of the time a bicyclist will be involved and 98.4% of the time the bicyclist will be killed or injured.). As alarming as these statistics are, the Bicycle Universe web site says that "Most of the statistics for bike injuries are severly undercounted. In Texas for instance, the DPS only gets reports of crashes that involve motor vehicles and in which the motor vehicle sustains enough damage that it has to be towed." That site also says that most bicyclist deaths occur on major roads. About 57% of the fatalities occurred on major roads and 37% on "local roads". Another study, reproduced on the Bicycling Life web site, says that the most crashes per million kilometers traveled occur on sidewalks, versus 59 on minor roads without bike facilities. (I should point out, though, that the study says that this category of riding represents only 0.3% of the kilometers ridden. This suggests that there may not be enough data to call that an accurate conclusion.) This would, on the surface, seem to imply that it's safer to ride in the street than on a sidewalk. I would argue this point, personally, on the basis that 59% of crashes involved "simple falls", 9% involved other bicycles, and 14% involved fixed objects. That means 68% of the time a crash is either a fall or a collision with another bicycle. If you collided with another bicycle or fell, what do you think your odds of serious injury would be on a major roadway during rush hour versus a sidewalk next to that roadway? If you fall on the sidewalk, you may skin a knee or break an arm or something. If you fall on a busy street, there's a very good chance you may be run over by a passing motor vehicle which is traveling a lot faster than you were before you fell. As I said above, I respect the bicyclist's right to share the road with me and I take every precaution I can to avoid any sort of collision with bicyclists. I really don't have a problem with the activity, the people doing it, or the places they choose to do it. In fact, I envy them for doing something that benefits their health and the environment. It just seems to me that there are better and safer places to travel on a bicycle than on busy roadways during rush hour. The risk of a serious injury or death would be lower for them on a minor road and probably lower still on a sidewalk. Personally, if my health was such that I could manage a bike ride to work, I would probably do so occasionally. But I would also go out of my way to avoid major roadways during peak travel hours, simply out of a selfish urge to remain in one piece. Your life, of course, is your own. You should do with it as you please.
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