The tragic death of a much-respected friend has shed personal light on the cooperation of people riding bikes in the city and those of us who are required by law to share the streets with them.

Since the recent fatal accident about 10 days ago in the city, we have been far more diligent in looking out for our fellow travelers on two wheels with or without motors. In that short time, we have encountered four very serious situations. The first was a bicyclist traveling the wrong direction on Jefferson Street. It was an adult male and he was wearing a helmet. But he was at what seemed to be a reckless speed and headed the wrong direction on a one-way street.

The very next day the scenario was flipped and we witnessed another male rider going uphill the wrong direction on Cunningham using a bicycle equipped with a motor. He was not wearing a helmet and while there wasn’t much traffic on Cunningham at the time, the increased danger in his illegal maneuver included drivers turning off of side streets not expecting any traffic, including bicycles coming the other way.

Wednesday afternoon brought into play two different scary situations. While sitting at a red light on Main Street, we had an adult male drive his bike between our car and the cars parallel-parked on the street. Instead of sitting in the line of traffic and respectfully waiting his turn, he squeezed through the space where drivers open their doors to exit while traffic is stopped. The potential for a collision is really likely and although this bicyclist got through safely, he put himself at great risk.

The final action witnessed was a young person riding his bike headed north on the sidewalk east side of Main Street. Not only does the bike not belong on the sidewalk, but as he approached the light at Main and Jefferson the light changed and he continued through the intersection, even though the traffic on Jefferson now had the right-of-way. Dangerous? Absolutely!

There have been too many tragedies in our town lately and some of the victims have been innocent of any wrongdoing.

We need to start enforcing the rules and regulations for everyone on our streets, and that includes people on bicycles.

Biking is a great form of travel and exercise and its popularity has soared during COVID-19. Now, safety and awareness need to keep pace with that growing sport for vehicle drivers and the bikers.

— RV