What our readers say about motorists and bicyclists

In the wake of three bicyclists’ recent deaths, The Idaho Statesman asked readers to send us their stories about bicyclists and motorists sharing Treasure Valley roads. Here are some of the stories we received:

Ride through neighborhoods to avoid heavy traffic

From May through September, I ride 16 miles a day to and from work. I have to cross town from the foothills in NW Boise to my office near Cole and Overland.

The only reason I can do this safely is that I can ride the Greenbelt part of the way and then cut through a number of quiet neighborhoods for the rest of the route.

My route is not shown in any existing map or in any map in ACHD’s (Ada County Highway District) otherwise very useful “Roadways to Bikeways Plan.”

I agree with Kristin Armstrong and never ride any streets with heavy car traffic. In my case, that means avoiding Glenwood, Orchard, Curtis, Cole, Maple Grove, Ustick, Fairview, Franklin, and Overland.

The “bike lanes” on these streets are little more than place holders for a future Boise where bikes are viewed as more than toys and where safety includes everyone.

You may notice that very few bikers use them.

So, what we really need are not more 4” wide lines of white paint that do little to protect the biker from an inattentive driver. What we need are first, a good, detailed on-line map of “bike routes” that shows bikers how they can get from Point A to Point B in Boise without risking their lives on heavily traveled streets.

Second, we need to spend our bike lane money to provide facilities to ensure that bikers can get from anywhere to anywhere. This might include overpasses, rights-of-way, and special crosswalks with stoplights such as those in use near some schools. Map 11 in ACHD’s plan, “Missing Bicycle Network / Missing Gaps” is a good start at identifying where these obstacles are.

But to really make this work, we need people to get on the ground and try to cross Boise in every possible direction.

For example, I cut through 2 parking lots and ride sidewalks for several short stretches to stay away from cars. I cross with cars in some places and with pedestrians in others. You can see my route on Google Maps, but you could not identify it from the outset using that tool.

Biking helps you feel better, lose weight, save money and clear our air. Get out there, and be sure to wear bright colors. But leave your iPod in your pack. You will want to listen for vehicles. Oh yeah, and birds singing.

Terry Rich, Boise

Bicyclists have responsibilities, too

Here’s a news flash for you. ... Your “10 tips for drivers” failed to mention that along with cyclists being entitled to the same rights on the road as motorists they also have the same responsibilities. I always love it when these spandex-clad idiots attempt to bull their way into traffic which is doing 55 miles per hour on Highway 21!

Art Carpenter, Boise

Former bicycle rider

I agree wholeheartedly with your story in that both bicyclists and drivers need to work together. I use to be a bicyclist for many years and understand the danger.

For me it’s not worth it anymore. Too many drivers are distracted with talking on the phone, texting and eating. So I have taken my bicycling off road, where it is much safer and more relaxing.

A big problem my wife and I see, at least on Balantine and Floating Feather in the Eagle area, more often that not, is that bicyclists often ride 2 to 3 riders wide in a pack ‹ well into the lane of cars.

Frankly, there is barely enough room on the shoulder for a single bicyclist, let alone 2 to 3 wide. Many of them are very indignant or defiant like they own the road and stay in their 2- to 3- wide formations.

While this is not a big deal if there is no oncoming traffic, often times there is traffic on the opposite lane fast approaching. When this happens, bicyclists force drivers to either take their vehicle from 40 to 50 miles per hour to almost a sudden stop, because as a driver you are figuring they have enough common sense to get out of the road and go single file when a car is approaching. I have seen cars in front of us in this situation gun it and try and get past the bicyclists before they have a collision with the oncoming car. On two occasions, I have witnessed the bicyclists flip the driver of the car off. Like you said in your article, when it comes to a crash between a bicyclist and a car, the bicyclist will lose. And if you get a driver who is in a bad mood, and you flip him/her off, the bicyclist could lose that battle as well.

My 2 cents.

Blake Warrington, Star

Why chip seal shoulders of roads?

Hello. Thanks for taking the time to objectively report on the cycling issues that the community is currently facing.

It deeply saddens me to see the hate towards cyclists. Is some of the upset warranted? Possibly, but certainly not the hatred.

I am an avid cyclist who has ridden in many places around the U.S. A few things I have observed or considered:

1. I don’t understand why ACHD chooses to chip seal the shoulders of the roads. With 2,100 miles of roads, if they were to not chip seal the shoulders, they could save millions of dollars. When riding in Coeur d’Alene, I was pleasantly surprised that their shoulders were not chip sealed. Often times, you will find cyclists riding in the road as the cars have worn the chip seal down and you can ride without shaking your brains out.

2. Could we consider lowering the speed limit on Hill Road to 25 mph? People complain all the time about how busy it is and how congested it has become, yet they continue to use it.

3. I believe our elected officials need to consider how many yellow air alerts the Treasure Valley has. If this keeps up, we will lose our federal highway dollars. They should be embracing anything and everything that can be done to reduce the vehicles off the road.

I believe in Boise. The reality is we have a HUGE cycling community that will only grow and some forward thinking needs to occur.

Nic Stover, Boise

ACHD, Garden City, BIKE SAFETY

Lots of items in the news recently about bike safety and clearly Garden City and ACHD have not been supportive of bike safety. ACHD comes up with studies, but that’s about it. Clearly, the issue here is that Garden City (with no help from ACHD) is not interested in supporting bike riders. They would rather push them out onto the streets, streets unfortunately that are not anywhere near safe.

Last year we presented to the ACHD Bicycle Advisory Committee our concerns about bike safety along the 2 1/2 mile so called “Greenbelt bypass” in Riverside Village. This is the ruse that GC (Garden City) came up with to deflect the bike ban on the greenbelt. We provided specific information about the dangers of this bypass and suggestions for making this section safer for bike riders.

Although the Bicycle Advisory Committee endorsed our request, ACHD staff (and apparently the commissioners) tossed the request out saying that there was not enough traffic to warrant adding any safety signage. Of course, Garden City did nothing to support our request. Making matters worse shortly after that ACHD re-surfaced a significant portion of this bypass and removed parking restrictions along most of the route, after Riverside Village people complained they couldn’t park on the street. Can you imagine families and children riding along a 2 1/2 mile section that has over 40 driveways and 20 plus streets with no safety signage?

If you want some interesting information for a story I suggest the following:

Ask Mayor Evans about why they have not done anything to support our request for bike safety along this section.

• Talk to the members of the ACHD Bicycle Advisory Committee about why COG’s (Citizens for an Open Greenbelt) requests were ignored. And ask ACHD staff -- you’ll get an interesting tap dance. I have their email response from last year.

• Contact the American League of Bicyclists about how they view the Treasure Valley as a “Bike Friendly Community.” They have given us their lowest rating, and I suspect when the designation is renewed we will be dropped off the list.

COG would be happy to give you lots of details about how we attempted to reduce the danger of this section but we were ignored by both ACHD and Garden City. Bottom line is that what you all have been writing about is just the tip of the iceberg about lack of support for bike riders in the Treasure Valley. Regards.

Gary Segers, Citizens for an Open Greenbelt

Lessons for bicyclists, motorists alike

You solicited stories re bicycling. I read some of the online comments regarding your story and some of them, from both sides, were pretty vitriolic. As a longtime motorist, bicyclist and runner on Boise’s streets I’ve observed lots of bad behavior. But, several years ago, I participated in some when I was driving to Bogus Basin to run at the mountain.

I was driving the road a few miles above the 3,000 foot marker and four road bikes were being ridden abreast in my lane. I followed them at about eight miles an hour for a ways, without honking since I didn’t want to startle them. I rode both a mountain bike and a road bike so I was aware of the danger of a honking driver at close range.

They wouldn’t yield (I don’t know if they realized I was behind them, but they surely knew that cars drive on that road), so I stupidly began to pass on a corner where I didn’t have clear visibility. I had to pass totally in the left lane since they crowded my entire lane. As I passed them. a bike rider was zooming downhill next to the center line in his lane, which happened to be my passing lane. I was able to swerve quickly to the right, back into my lane, without hitting him or any of the four riders I was passing. But the downhill rider was shaking his fist at me. He was naturally pretty unhappy.

I had done something stupid, but so had the four bike riders and the downhill rider. The speed limit around that corner was 20 mph. I know from my own experience, and from watching riders on Bogus Basin Road, that he was riding between 30 and 40 miles per hour around a visually blind corner and he was hugging the center line. That is a recipe for disaster, but it happens all the time on that road. So far as I could see, the four riders continued to ride four abreast up the hill, and they undoubtedly left lots of other drivers upset that day. I was so nervous that I had almost hit five bikers that I rode the rest of the distance to Bogus at about 15 or 20 miles per hour.

The lesson: The road should have signs warning bikers to ride single file as close to the side as is safe; signs should also announce to bikers, at the top of the mountain and downhill, of the dangers of speeding down the hill where lanes are narrow and often full of debris; drivers should be aware that bikers may be found anywhere on the road in the sunny months and they need to ride slowly and very defensively. Well positioned signs might suffice to warn locals and tourists of the dangers, but a few patrol cars in the summer couldn’t hurt. And I wouldn’t recommend anyone passing on a corner, even if the corner is striped so that passing is permissible.

Rick Poplack, Boise

Aren’t sidewalks for people?

I work in an office building on the corner of 9th and Idaho. What is the rule about riding bikes on the sidewalks? Yesterday afternoon, I was having a Coke on the sidewalk café and 2 bicyclists went past me (on the sidewalk) so fast it scared me.

Also they almost hit 2 people walking in front of them. I notice that the delivery bicyclists for various downtown restaurants also ride on the sidewalks. I thought the sidewalk was for people.

Sue Froshiesar, Boise

Riding since 1986

I'm 55 years old; have been almost exclusively using bicycles for my local transportation, here in Boise, since 1986. Currently I ride 350+ days per year; 5500+ miles; haven't driven a car to work since 1997. I work in downtown Boise. I’ve ridden 126,000+ miles since ’86.

In those 23+ years of riding, I've had 3 car-bike collisions, none serious, thank goodness. One was my fault; the other 2 were the driver’s fault. The most recent was probably 10 years ago. (I’m too old for that nonsense... takes too long to quit hurtin'!)

I know the bike laws and try to follow them, and the laws of common sense. I ride defensively, visibly, predictably, and legally.

Several times a week, I take evasive action to avoid a motorist who's either not paying attention, or operating illegally. That’s part of riding and surviving. 95% of motorists are just dandy. I wish people would use their turn signals and stay off their cell phones, etc. There’s no denying that a very small percentage of drivers have “attitude problems.” And a small segment are obviously unqualified to drive ‹ they just don't have the skills. (As you are aware, there’s no competency test, once you get a license.)

Reading all the hostile messages on the message forum is somewhat unsettling. But I can kinda identify - I see bozos-on-bikes all the time.

(I have to take evasive action to avoid bad bicyclists at least as often as bad motorists. I, too, resent the bad bike riders ‹ they are NOT good ambassadors, and they're sure not doing ME any favors!)

You might want to check out my bicycle-related blog:

http://bikenazi.blogspot.com - I've been posting pretty regularly for about 3 years now. I wrote “Bicycling 101 for Non-Cyclists” awhile back, based on comments that Statesman web readers had posted... it ALWAYS seems timely: http://bikenazi.blogspot.com/2007/12/bicycling-101-for-non-cyclists.html I don’t race, or single-track, or anything like that. But you will not find a more enthusiastic proponent of bikes-as-transportation than Yours Truly! I would NEVER voluntarily go back to driving!

The only thing Boise lacks to fully deserve our “Bike Friendly Community” status is: 1) Education and 2) Enforcement. Both are essentially non-existent.

Steve Hulme, Boise