This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Shhhh. Don't say it too loudly or the weather gods might take it back, but it looks like summer weather is nearly here.
After the wettest May on record, snow falling on Memorial Day weekend and April-like temperatures in June, the forecast, finally, is for warmer weather. And along with the sunshine come the cyclists, walkers, joggers and moms and dads pushing baby strollers. That's all good; we're in favor of everybody moving into the outdoors, getting exercise, becoming more healthy.
But without a commitment to common courtesy and the rules of the road, the myriad modes of travel could clash, and people could get hurt. Motorists are not seasonal, and some of them believe that they, alone, have a right to the road. They are wrong. Cars and trucks are bigger, they move faster, and they are more numerous than cyclists, but that doesn't give them legitimate power to push cyclists off the road.
On the flip side, when cyclists violate by weaving across lanes, ignoring stop signs or signal lights, obstructing traffic flow by riding two or three abreast, or riding in the middle of a lane on a two-lane road, they're asking for trouble. Cyclists talking on cell phones pose a particular danger to motorists and to themselves. Riding in city traffic demands the full attention of any cyclist.
Last week a group of cyclists, including a Utah Department of Transportation deputy director and people from the Department of Public Safety, law enforcement, health advocates and others, gathered in Salt Lake City to make the point that highway safety should be everyone's first concern.
It's a point well-taken. UDOT Deputy Director Carlos Braceras said six cyclists are killed in an average year on Utah roadways, and more than 850 accidents involve cyclists. The latest fatality was cyclist Brynn Barton, 24, who died when he was hit by a car on 700 East. The driver did not stop. That's a sad toll that could be reduced if motorists slowed down for cyclists and allowed them the three feet of space the law requires for passing a bicyclist.
The group urged cyclists to obey all traffic laws and ride single file on the road, not sidewalks. It simply doesn't make sense to throw your weight around, when cars and trucks are in another weight class altogether. Pedestrians, too, should stay where they belong. The growing number of people pushing children in strollers on city streets, instead of on sidewalks, has become a problem.
Some of these prams are as wide as the sidewalk. Some are even wider. Nevertheless, they do not belong in the road.