http://bicyclecolo.org

 

The Canyons motorist/cyclist meeting was changed to Tuesday, November 3, from 5-8 pm.  If you decide to speak out, it would be helpful to identify yourself as a both a cyclist and motorist who drives in the Boulder mountain canyons.  You may want to express your opinion on any of the specific proposals in the Canyon plan, which deal primarily with infrastructure improvements.  The plan will be displayed and explained at the meeting, and you can review it in advance at on the County website. 
 
If you agree with the Boulder Cycling Club's position, we would also appreciate your support.  Our position is that we are very appreciative of the infrastructure improvements and enforcement efforts the county has proposed, but we feel that they need to make a significant commitment to motorist/cyclist safety education in the county rural areas where recreational road bikers like us ride.  Infrastructure and enforcement only go so far, and changing behavior is the key to road safety.  The City of Boulder has a "Share the Road" campaign and a 3-2-1 Courtesy Pledge, but they do not do much to get the word out.  The County has a bike safety brochure on its site.  Other cities have much more active and extensive road safety campaigns.
 
Safety education is critical because so many motorists are uninformed of important cyclist rights and realities, including: 
 
1) They think cyclists are required to stay to the right of the shoulder line when by law we have the right to occupy the entire car lane if it is not "practicable" to ride to the right e.g. because of safety concerns (hazards, too narrow for cars to pass in both directions next to bike, etc).
 
2) Few know about the new 3-2-1 law (must give 3 feet of clearance to cyclists; we can ride double when not impeding traffic; we must ride single file if it would impede traffic to ride double).
 
3) Most shoulders have too many hazards (chuckholes, debris, branches) to make it practicable to ride in them and it is unsafe to weave in and out of the car lane to avoid hazards.
 
4) It is not practicable to ride to the right going downhill at higher speeds (15 mph plus) because cyclists need a larger margin of error to avoid sudden hazards which represent a much greater threat to us than to cars.
 
These misunderstandings can lead motorists to unwarranted aggravation when encountering cyclists on the road.  Aggravation over a period of time can lead to anger and impatience that lead to poor driving decisions that endanger cyclists and even aggressive driving behavior.  We recognize that cyclists need safety education too especially about riding responsibly like a vehicle and how safely to avoid impeding traffic.