LEWISBURG — Close calls with automobiles go hand-in-hand with the joy of open-road biking, Valley bicyclists said Thursday as the state Senate considers legislation that aims to prevent such near-collisions.
“As cyclists,” said Brett Peterson, owner of Campus Cycle, in Lewisburg, “we have to be very aware of where we’re riding. You need to be on the defensive at all times. There are a lot of people out there who feel like cyclists have no business being on the road.”
Road cyclists call it getting buzzed — when a car passes by so closely that the vehicle almost hits the cyclist or runs the cyclist off the road.
“I’ve been buzzed,” Peterson said. “And I know several people who’ve been hit by cars. I’ve had fireworks thrown at me. I’ve had bottles thrown at me, even when I’m to the right of the white line. There is a lot of hostility out there. One of my ex-employees was run off the road on purpose.”
Peterson said he has friends who are afraid to ride along the road. He said he believes that getting buzzed is more likely to happen in the country, where there are no witnesses.
“I was actually run off the road by an 18-wheeler,” he said. “He came up alongside me, when he pulled in by 3 feet and I ended up in a corn field.”
Katherine and Lawrence Miller, of Lewisburg, have also had bad experiences riding — on Stein Lane, where there is no berm.
“We follow the law,” Katherine said. “We have reflectors on the back of our bikes. But people can be mean. Antagonistic. Angry that we’re on the road when they’re driving.”
In Pennsylvania, it could soon be illegal to pass a bicycle unless there’s at least 4 feet of space between the vehicle and cyclist.
The state House passed the proposal in 2011. The legislation now awaits action in the Senate. If passed, Pennsylvania would join 19 other states that have approved what advocates refer to as safe passing laws.
In 2010, 1,485 crashes involving a bicycle were reported throughout Pennsylvania, compared with 1,401 in 2009, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Pennsylvania ranked 10th nationwide with 15 bicyclist traffic deaths in 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Florida had the most bicyclist fatalities in 2009 with 107.
Besides setting a safe passing standard, the proposal would clear up gray areas in state law about vehicles and bicyclists sharing Pennsylvania roads. For example, it would be legal for a vehicle to cross the double yellow line on a two-lane road, if necessary, to provide the 4-foot clearance when passing a cyclist.
The law wouldn’t make it legal to cross the center line into oncoming traffic. In that case, under the new law, a motorist would have to wait until traffic clears in the oncoming lane to pass the cyclist.
The legislation would also make it illegal to turn right into the path of a cyclist — what cyclists refer to as a “right hook.”
It would also make it legal for a cyclist to be going less than the minimum speed, which means a cyclist with traffic behind him or her wouldn’t have to move off the road or as far to the right as possible.
Bob Mionske, a lawyer from Portland, Ore., who specializes in bicycle law, said in general, laws like the one being considered in Pennsylvania are a good idea.
But Mionske said the laws are not enforced.
Finding a witness to verify someone passed a cyclist without leaving enough room is also a challenge.
Tim Kinsey, general manager of Runner’s Roost Bike and Sports, of Sunbury, finds it easiest to stay out of trouble by confining most of his riding to off-road trails, like the rail trail joining Lewisburg and Mifflinburg.
“I’m more a mountain biker than a road biker,” he said. “The vast majority of road cyclists I know haven’t had problems, but I do occasionally run into cyclists with issues. I tend to avoid things that cause me conflict. There are drivers with anger management issues. I’ve been cycling when drivers blew their horn or shouted something out the car window. I try to be as courteous as I can be and follow the law.”
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A cyclist is passed by a car along Route 304 in Mifflinburg on Thursday afternoon.
Discussion
State legislation aims to protect bicyclists from being 'buzzed'
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