Bicyclists should heed laws of road, nature

For some time now, there have been columns and letters regarding the conflict between cyclists and autos on the streets and paths.

I gave up my bicycle some years ago after being nearly sideswiped by a school bus on a residential street. Being a very senior citizen, I could not gamble upon being permanently disabled just because I enjoyed cycling.

Over the past couple of weeks, I witnessed two occurrences of utter stupidity. The first at Arlington Heights Road and Northwest Highway. A man and two children, eastbound on Northwest Highway, ran the red light and nearly caused a rear-end collision as a car braked for them.

The second was even scarier. At Northwest Highway and Arthur Avenue, an eastbound cyclist went between cars stopped at the light and turned right onto Arthur in front of the car in the curb lane. As he began his turn, the light turned green. Lucky for the cyclist, the driver he cut off did not make a jack rabbit start, or the cyclist would be roadkill.

Driving on the congested roads is stressful enough without imbecilic cyclists putting themselves and others at risk. Granted, there are many motorists who are just as stupid as the cyclists. Cyclists seem to think they are immune to the laws of nature - 2 tons of steel beats a mountain bike every time.

The railroad companies fund an educational program called "Operation Lifesaver." During the presentation, the lecturer holds up a soft drink can. He then notes that a 10,000-ton train hitting an automobile is equivalent to a 2-ton auto running over a soft drink can. Neither you nor the soft drink can survive. A sobering thought next time you decide to ignore RR crossing signals or play "chicken" with your bike.

J.F. Koenen

Arlington Heights