Homer Alaska - Opinion

Use of a bike path is optional, that's Alaska state law. Use of a separated bike path is actually more dangerous for bike-commuters than using the shoulder of the road. Studies are available that show separated bike paths are safer for pedestrian and recreational bike use. That changes if a cyclist is travelling at speeds greater than 8 mph. At that pace travelling with the flow of motorized traffic while obeying the rules of the road is safer.

State law also spells out that bicycles should not be ridden on sidewalks in a business district, which means we should, in fact, only bike on the roadway in downtown areas. Sidewalk is not synonymous with bike path. While in some instances serving a valuable purpose, bike paths frequently do not extend along the route cyclists need to take in order to reach their destination.

Recently one of my friends was hit by a truck while bicycle commuting home from work. She was on the East End Road bike path travelling east. A truck that was stationary, waiting to exit a parking lot (not a roadway) to turn right, accelerated directly into her; the driver had not looked both ways before crossing the bike path. The driver admitted this to her as part of his apology. Luckily she was not seriously hurt. Her injuries enough were cause for a visit to ER and X-rays that revealed a chipped elbow, and painful enough to mean she could not work, but nothing that a few weeks won't heal.

I think if presented with a similar scenario, I would have chosen to wait before riding in front of the vehicle until I had made eye-contact with the driver. However, I believe it was criminally negligent of the driver to move forward in a direction in which they had not looked.

A child using the bike path might not yet possess the skills to anticipate this manner of inconsiderate, lazy driving.

Any cyclist is vulnerable to serious injury if the inattention of a driver or purposeful aggressiveness of a driver causes a bike-vehicle collision. In most instances, the vehicle operator will not be injured and the vehicle will sustain little damage. I can't speak for all cyclists, but this fact alone compels me to create as little obstacle as possible to any and all motor vehicles.

My experiences in traffic are, on the whole, pleasant; the majority of traffic slips by me at a comfortable distance. I am curious what drivers think they accomplish by allowing their passenger to hang out of their truck window to scream "use the sidewalk" at me as their vehicle straddles the white-line that marks the shoulder. I also am puzzled why my choice to move around town by bike inspires people to flip me off or lean on their horn as they pass by.

Bike users reduce vehicle congestion on the roads, do not cause wear and tear of the road surface, are reducing their reliance on fossil fuels, are getting healthy exercise and are travelling from A to B without really impacting the flow of traffic.

Pedestrians should cross on the marked crosswalks when they are within 200 feet of one. Drivers should stop when a pedestrian is standing by a crosswalk waiting to cross. The law believes that, too, and I wish the Homer Police would enforce that consistently. I had the experience of being ignored by several cars, with one of them being a police car, when waiting to cross with my children.

Pedestrians crossing a road where there is not an available designated crosswalk should wait to cross until they are not affecting traffic. Several times vehicles have stopped for me where there was no crosswalk in sight, and though I appreciate the kindness, I wish they wouldn't do that.

Stopping in an unpredictable location like that often creates a dangerous situation, for the pedestrian as well as for other road users.

I am a member of the recently formed Homer Cycling Club. One of our objectives is to increase awareness and understanding of correct, legal and safe ways for bicycles and motor vehicles to co-exist. There are many misconceptions and sloppy habits on all sides of this issue. Road rage, impatience and intolerance create an unsafe situation for fellow road users, whatever their mode of transportation.

I am a pedestrian, a cyclist and a driver. My children are pedestrians, cyclists and passengers in motor vehicles. I prefer to bike to work, actually I prefer to bike to just about anywhere. Whichever mode of transportation I choose at any particular time, my main goal is to get there safely.

With this in mind I walk, ride and drive defensively and courteously. I ask the same of you,

Catriona Lowe has lived in Homer since 1995. She writes: "I bought my first car when I was 27, before that it was bikes or buses. Presently I own one car, two bikes and many pairs of running and walking shoes. I ... always wear my helmet when cycling."