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Rights, Responsibilities and Respect
Advocacy Matters

During a particularly pleasant 40 miler this month, I had the opportunity to discuss the seemingly growing discourse between motorists and cyclists here in the "Ville".

Much ado has been made over the KyCycList mailing list and the Courier-Journal's Readers' Forum about this issue, and resolutions seem to be in short supply.

Of course, we always can fall back on the education factor (or the lack thereof), but let's face it, we as cyclists oftentimes are as disrespectful to motorists as they can be to us. I, too, am not without sin, and I bet you aren't, either.

Just as a lady writer to the C-J Forum stated, we often toodle down the road, 2/3/4 abreast, holding up motorists for miles, just because we are chatting and having a good time. Yes, you say, we have a right to be there.

True -- two abreast is the law. But what ever happened to respect? How can we expect to gain the motorists' respect if we have none for them?

I know I am saying this at the risk of multitudes of flame mail and ridicule, but I believe my friend on that ride had a point. So the next time someone yells, "Car back", please yield to that call and fall in single-file just for a moment and let that motorist pass in a reasonable period of time. You'll be surprised to find that if you wave to them as they go by, they will probably wave back and might even thank you! I have had this experience more than once.

So, please, give it a try. Give your fellow man (or woman) in that car some room to go by without waiting until they're good and angry. Make a friend of a motorist--show them you respect THEIR rights to the road. You will be amazed at how good it will probably make you feel!