Cyclist lays out rules of the road

Please permit me to reply to the recent letter from Bill Fanning. I am a bicycle commuter and I ride on public roads. The first thing that must be clearly understood is that it is permitted under Illinois law for bicyclists to ride on any public road except those designated "no bicycles." Route 45 is one of the roads on which cycling is permissible. A cyclist is generally not going to be traveling as fast as motorized traffic. The cyclist then constitutes a "traffic obstruction." Motorists are permitted to cross a double yellow line to get around an obstruction, provided it is safe to do so. Imagine that a stalled car is blocking the lane; traffic would not stop, but merely slow down. Route 45 is a diagonal road that really does not have a good alternate route. It is true that traffic speeds are relatively high, and any cyclist there must use great caution. Perhaps the writer would like to have more public money allocated to providing an off-street cycle path. Because he sounds like a reasonable person, I'm sure Mr. Fanning did the right thing: Wait for a gap in oncoming traffic, then pass the cyclist on the left. I'm impressed that he knows about the recently passed state law requiring drivers to give cyclists a minimum of three feet clearance when passing.

Having presented the cyclist's point of view, I must also acknowledge that many cyclists do not follow the laws regulating their use of public roads. This is unfortunate, because it is unsafe and creates a poor public image of a very convenient, energy-efficient and healthy mode of transportation. One final note for Mr. Fanning: Cyclists are not a sign of spring. Some of us ride all winter. Cheers!

Stephen M. Weeks

Mundelein