Local
bicycling safety expert Tim Rogers said most cycling groups tell bicyclists to
avoid riding on a sidewalk if possible.
“Sidewalks
have a lot more conflicts than people realize,” Rogers said. “If you want to
ride on the sidewalk, you’re a fast-moving pedestrian.”
I walk a
great deal, both for transportation and exercise. I’m also the survivor of a
traumatic brain injury sustained in 2007, a life-threatening injury suffered
when I was hit by a car as I was bicycling.
Seven years
later, I remain an advocate for both walking and bicycling. But it’s not enough
for me to yell at others – all of them bicyclists – while trekking along a
sidewalk in Williston or Essex Junction.
Note the
word “walk” is one of two syllables in “sidewalk.” That means this: Sidewalks
are for people who choose to walk. And they, not cars or bicyclists, have the
right-of-way.
Bicycle
lanes in Chittenden County are marked in several ways: Signs, lines painted on
the pavement, and even on-pavement logos of cyclists.
Let’s all
give each other room, whether we’re walking, cycling or steering a motor
vehicle. But let’s remember that sidewalks are for walking and walking only.
ALAN C.
GREGORY
Lt. Col.,
USAF, Ret.
222 Eastview
Circle
Williston
878-5152
land line
570-401-3116
cell
