Cyclists have role in sharing the road
With gasoline prices as they are these days, I think it's safe to say that we're going to see an increasing number of motorcycles, scooters and bicycles sharing streets and highways with the more traditional motor vehicles.
Being aware that my vehicles are larger and weigh considerably more than the average bicycle, I am cautious when approaching any two-wheeler on our roadways. Always giving them plenty of room to negotiate the same piece of asphalt even if that means I have to break the law. Yes, more often than not, I break the law nearly every time I encounter a cyclist on the road.
Why, you ask? Well, let's say a typical 40-mile-per-hour, single-lane roadway is 10 feet wide. The law says I have to allow 3 feet between my car and the bike. If the cyclist is riding 3 feet in from the curb and my car is 6 feet wide, in order to be compliant with the law I'm forced to cross over the center line of the roadway by 2 feet. If that center line is a solid color, I'm breaking the law.
Yes, I have other options. I could slow down and stay behind the cyclist until it's safe or legal to pass. Or I could bump draft. The cyclist has a couple of choices, also. He could move over and out of the way or pedal faster. Although it's not likely the average cyclist can sustain a 40-mile-per-hour clip.
And what about those bike packs? Those who choose to ride in clusters with no regard for vehicular traffic or their own safety. They'll ride three, four, even five abreast and spit at you if they feel they've been encroached. I typically run in to the local gang pedalling down Midlothian Road on weekends. Single file boys, if you please.
For your edification, I have included a couple of statutes from the Illinois State Police Web site:
Sec. 11-1502. Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles. Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle.
Sec. 11-1505.1. Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than 2 abreast, except on paths or parts of the roadway set aside for their exclusive use. Persons riding 2 abreast shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and, on a landed roadway, shall ride within a single lane subject to the provisions of Section 11-1505 (625 ILCS 5/11-1505).
Jeffrey C. Issel
Mundelein