It’s been a weird week for people on bikes. First, 2,500 scantily clad ladies and gents showed up for the local version of the World Naked Bike Ride, its largest turnout yet. Then on Tuesday, a clash involving cyclist Randy Murdick and Sunset Hills Mayor Mark Furrer drew national attention.
The parties dispute some details of what went down, but everyone seems to agree on this: Furrer was driving in his red Mercedes convertible (not a bad ride for a part-time politician) when he came upon Murdick on a bike. The two got into a shouting match, each thinking the other was doing a poor job of sharing the road. Profanities were uttered. Eventually, the car and the bike collided, Murdick was injured, and Furrer drove off, before later returning to the scene.
Now for the disputed part: Murdick claims that Furrer yelled “Get off my f—ing roads,” before ramming his car into the bike and speeding off. Furrer claims that Murdick ran a stop sign, and when the mayor tried to admonish the cyclist, Murdick made contact with the car and then wrecked on his own. Murdick says that doesn’t make any sense. He claims that he stopped at the sign.
We have no idea what really happened. But the whole incident got us thinking: Why can’t we all just get along? We asked Molly Pearson of Trailnet for some tips on how motorists and cyclists could coexist in harmony. She’s the coordinator of the organization’s TravelGreen program, which encourages people to kick their car habits. Pearson pointed us toward this handy primer on Missouri bicycle laws, and gave us a whole bunch of other advice, too.
Here, we present our vision for a happier transportational tomorrow.
Stuff for everyone to remember:
1. Don’t be a jerk. This is important for people who ride bikes and who drive cars and everybody else, too. As Pearson puts it, “We are all people using the road. Some of us choose to drive a car. Some of us choose to ride a bicycle. That’s OK. Both are vehicles under Missouri law. It’s just a matter of being sensitive to that different perspective.”
2. Communicate. I know this doesn’t come naturally to native Missourians (zing!), but use your turn signals (or hand signals). Try to employ the go-ahead wave more than your middle finger. “It fosters community by acknowledging one another as a human being sharing the road and not just something that’s in your way,” Pearson says. “It helps bring that human element of respect to one another as we travel to our destinations.” Again, just don’t be a jerk.
Stuff for bicyclists to remember:
1. Stay off the sidewalk. Missouri law says it’s illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk in a business district. It doesn’t define the phrase “business district,” but Trailnet strongly recommends that adult cyclists stay off the sidewalk everywhere. Somebody backing out of a driveway might run you over, and you might run over some innocent walker. You don’t like it when cars run you off the road, so don’t run pedestrians off the sidewalk. “It’s really dangerous,” Pearson says. “Sometimes, you will hear drivers yell out, ‘Get on the sidewalk.’ Actually, that’s really not a good idea.”
2. Ride with traffic. Missouri law says, “Cyclists shall ride in the same direction as traffic.” Pretty straightforward, right? Plus, what part of “head-on collision” sounds appealing to you? “Unfortunately, it was actually taught in public schools in the ’50s to ride against traffic,” Pearson says. “That is a very dangerous thing to do.”
3. Assert yourself. State law encourages cyclists to ride “as far right as is safe,” so that you don’t impede traffic. But when necessary, cyclists are within their rights to “take the lane,” Pearson says. If you need to avoid running into a parked car or sliding down a steep embankment or crashing into debris, you’re allowed to ride down the center of the lane. If motorists protest, they’re the ones in the wrong. “When someone riding a bicycle does take the lane, they’re doing it for a reason,” Pearson says. “They’re not just doing it to slow you down. They’re doing it because it’s the safe thing to do in that situation.”
Stuff for motorists to remember:
1. Know the rules of the road. This might surprise you: Bikes don’t have to wait for red lights to change. Many traffic signals switch only when tripped by censors that detect a car’s weight. Bikes can’t trip these signals. They could end up sitting at a red light forever. To address this problem, Missouri law permits cyclists (as well as people riding motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters) to go through red lights after coming to a complete stop, provided there is no oncoming traffic. On the other hand, cyclists shouldn’t do this just to jump ahead of a line of cars. It’s only for situations in which they are alone at the light. “Sometimes, people say, ‘Hey, that cyclist just went right through that red light,’” Pearson says. “Well, take a closer look at the law. Take a closer look at the situation.”
2. Chill out. We’ve all been there. You’re in a hurry, running late, but you’re stuck in a line of cars behind a bike. Frustration sets in. You smack the steering wheel. You yell at the dashboard. But the bike isn’t doing anything wrong. State law recognizes it as a vehicle, just like your Hummer. Speed limits are maximums, not minimums. And on city streets, at least legally, there is no such thing as driving too slow. “Some people would argue, ‘Oh, a bicycle holds up traffic,’” Pearson says. “Well, that’s not true. They are part of traffic. They are vehicles. There is no minimum speed limit.”
3. Pass with care. When you pass a bike, do it slowly and allow plenty of space. (Missouri law simply requires a safe passing distance; Illinois specifies 3 feet of space; Trailnet prefers 4.) Think of it this way: Your car is 3,000 pounds of metal. A bike maybe weighs 20. You’re protected by a steel cage and airbags. A cyclist has a puny helmet. You don’t have to be a physicist to figure out that the potential for you to kill them is much higher than vice versa.
More stuff for everyone to remember:
1. Seriously, don’t be a jerk. We’ll give Pearson the final word: “What is more important, you getting to your big meeting on time or the human life of the person in front of you? I think that’s what it really boils down to is respect and empathy for the human beings that we encounter in our largest public space, the roads.”
