Letter to the Editor
Biker safety relies on bikers
If Iowa City wants to become a more “bicycle friendly” town, then the city needs to educate its cyclists on the rules of the road. In addition, Iowa City police need to start enforcing these rules and to start penalizing those riders that decide to neglect them.
The streets were built and paved primarily for use by motor vehicles. If a cyclist decides to ride in the street, then the bike becomes a car, and the rider must obey the same rules as motorists. This means obeying all stop signs, yield signs, red lights, green lights, turn signals, correct lane use, right of way — in a word, everything. I have had countless experiences of nearly hitting a cyclist because he or she blew a stop sign when I clearly had the right of way.
Perhaps the reason that Iowa City is not “bicycle friendly” is because cyclists continuously choose to disobey traffic laws. While riding a bike is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to travel, it does not relieve you of responsibility while you are on the road.
Drew Bielinski
UI student
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