From: Delia Hash
Columbus
Spring and summer are coming. People will be out walking and on bicycles. Columbus is encouraging a biking community for exercise and for decreasing our carbon foot print. Now, how about we go back and teach the rules of the road and the use of bikes.
I work night shift, and have come across folks riding at 10 or 11 p.m., and that’s great unless they are riding in the middle of the road without lights, reflectors and wearing black cloths. Now, I don’t mind sharing the road with these people, but if I cannot see them I wonder if they have a death wish.
I remember the days when we as kids had to go to bike training at the beginning of the summer and go through the obstacle course to obtain a bicycle license plate for our bikes. We learned the bicycle rules of the road. We had to have a light on front, reflector on the back and we rode against traffic so we could see what was coming. We had bicycle flags that made us more visible. Black clothes were not to be worn at night or at least have a reflecting vest on. We now have bike lines, and that is great. But we still need plenty more in and outside of town. But we also need people to be safe and also keep others from living with the trauma of hitting someone they could not see until the last second.
Please, Republic editor, can we have at least a full page article on bike safety before school is out. This could be posted and reviewed at the schools and places of work. And can we also do a radio broadcast, Mr. White River radio station personality, with the same information for those that do not see the paper.
I am a bike rider. For drivers, look for us as you would a motorcycle and look once again for the kids. None of us wants to be in a situation when a great, beautiful summer day becomes a tragedy.
