The audacity of cyclists!

The Dallas Morning News ran an interesting story in their “East Dallas blog” regarding a cyclist running over a runner involved in a race a White Rock Lake. If you have ever been to White Rock Lake on a Saturday, you know that it is full of Lance Armstrong wannabes, so the story doesn’t surprise me at all.

What did surprise me was the response to the blog post. It generated a spirited debate regarding who should have the right of way at White Rock Lake–runners or bikers?

To me, it illustrates the audacity of cyclists. I’m sure there are many “good” cyclists in the D/FW Metroplex, but the “bad” cyclists are far more visible, especially in my neighborhood.

The cyclists I see riding through my neighborhood appear to be caught up in their own world, totally oblivious to their surrondings. If I get behind one of them in my car, they make no attempt to get over. What’s worse, they turn without signaling. Everyone learns the proper hand signals to use for turning when they first learn to ride a bike and you are reminded of them when you get your driver’s license, so I see no reason why these cyclists do not signal except for bravado and arrogance. Further, these cyclists seem to feel that the rules of the road do not belong to them. I don’t think I have ever seen one cyclist stop at a stop sign.

Yes, cyclists annoy me. These “bad” cyclists ruin the name of all cyclists. Perhaps the “good” cyclists out there should take upon themselves to hold the “bad” cyclists accountable for their actions or, in the alternative, our communities should look into placing stricter restrictions on cycling.