Motorist-Bicycle Safety Reminder
May 5, 2022. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office and area law enforcement agencies remind the public that many people rely on bicycles for basic transportation as well as for health and recreational benefits. Many more families with children seem to be riding on the roads. With the 11th annual Kalamazoo Bike Week, May 7-14 starting on Saturday, Richard Fuller, Kalamazoo County Sheriff, reminds drivers and bicyclists to follow the rules of the road.
Local five-foot passing ordinances exist in Kalamazoo, Portage and Kalamazoo and Oshtemo townships. Elsewhere in Michigan a three-foot safe passing law must be observed. Parking and driving in bike lanes is unsafe and prohibited by law.
“Unsafe passing, distracted driving, impaired and aggressive driving, speeding and ignoring traffic control devices pose unacceptable public dangers,” warns Sheriff Fuller. “Following the rules of the road also applies to bicyclists. Don’t run red lights. Don’t ride on the wrong side of the road. You put yourself in harm’s way if you don’t ride your bike like you would drive a car.”
Kalamazoo and Portage Safety Directors Vernon Coakley and Nick Armold observe, “We urge motorists and bicyclists to be especially cautious around busy intersections and driveways. Check all around and look behind you before changing lanes and when turning. Don’t drive--or bike--distracted or impaired.”
Paul Wells, education chair of the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club, agrees. "At our Bike Camp we teach that bike riders have the same rules, rights and responsibilities as drivers. Riders who think riding against traffic is safer actually run a greater chance of being hit by drivers who don’t check for wrong way traffic. Running a red light puts your life at risk--so does turning unpredictably and riding without lights at night.”
“There’s nothing gained by driving or bicycling dangerously -- but everything to lose. We owe it to ourselves to follow -- and to teach our children to follow -- the rules of the road. We have a great opportunity to put the Golden Rule into practice by treating each other with courtesy and respect on the road,” commented Paul Selden, founder of Bike Friendly Kalamazoo. “We are all this together. When in doubt, drive and bike as you would like to be treated.”
Bike Friendly Kalamazoo (BFK) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization committed to improving the safety of bicyclists, non-motorized and motorized road users, building the quality of life through bicycling. Their volunteers throughout greater Kalamazoo make Bike Week 2022 possible. For more information, visit www.kalamazoobikeweek.org and www.bikefriendlykalamazoo.org.
The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club’s education committee is dedicated to bicyclist and motorist related education. Its award winning Bike Camp is back in 2022.
For more information see www.kalamazoobicycleclub.org/events/bike-camp/ .
Original source can be found here.
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