WILD BILL

Taking a Giant Step Toward Solving the Conflict Between Cyclists and Motorists

By Bill Schneider, 7-27-06

	Signs of the times going up in Lewis and Clark County. Photo by Bill Schneider.

Lewis and Clark County in central Montana has taken a step forward in solving the growing conflict between road cyclists and motorists. Hopefully, it will spread like those wildfires do in today’s climatic conditions.

The Lewis and Clark County Commissioners recently approved a pilot project in collaboration with local cyclists to put up Share the Road signs (see photo) on county roads experiencing significant increases in use from cyclists and motorists—and more conflicts and safety issues. The program is intended to promote courteous and safe sharing of public roadways. Locally, the project has been dubbed “Signs of the Times.”

To launch the test program, local cyclists offered to pay for the signs, but county commissioners Anita Varone, Ed Tinsley and Mike Murray liked the concept enough to cost-share it and cover half the cost of the signs with county funds. Local cyclists, mainly members of the Helena Bicycle Club and Great Divide Cycling Team, contributed the rest of the money. In fact more than enough money was raised and, if approved by the county commissioners, will probably be devoted to more signs in the future.

Similar signs have gone up in Colorado and in a few other places in the New West, but not in all the places we need them…yet.

There is no denying that because of the “Lance Affect” (and now, the Floyd Affect), gas prices staying north of three bucks, a growing need for better fitness, and more interest in preventive health care, that the number of cyclists on our roadways will increase. Coupled with that is the rapid growth of the urban interface in many New West communities, and you have a guarantee of more conflict and the likelihood of accidents.

Not many people would disagree with these trends, and now, local governing bodies and transportation and safety coordinators everywhere are trying to deal with the growing conflict. Signs of the Times might be a great way to start.

There seems to be three major ways to deal with the issue: construction, regulation and education.

Special construction i.e. bikeways and extra large shoulders are expensive, but can work well in some cases. However, avid road cyclists, the people in Lycra on expensive bikes who you see more and more of on the roads nowadays, shy away from bikeways even when they’re available for fear of accidents with pedestrians and vehicles overdriving the bikeway when stopping at stop signs. Also, it’s difficult for local officials to keep bikeways and shoulders clear of glass, gravel and other debris, which discourages use by people on pricey, skinny tired racing bikes—and can be very hazardous, especially on descents.

And special regulations limiting either the normal behavior of motorists or cyclists are always contentious. Even though we need revisions of driving manuals (see previous article on this subject) to better reflect current statutes and regulations concerning cycling, in most cases we have adequate laws on the books. Changing them to restrict activity of either group (which are the same people in many cases, incidentally) can quickly grow into the type of controversy local commissioners and council members like to avoid.

That leaves education, and to me, this seems like the best answer. In many places in the world, the sharing of public roads by cyclists and motorists is so engrained into the culture that there is no conflict, even though there are many more motorists and cyclists on narrow roads with no shoulders than we ever see around here. If we could accomplish this here in the New West, the conflicts and scorn for cyclists among motorists might gradually disappear. The Share the Road signs promote this concept.

They are much better than Bicycles on the Road signs, which promote the idea that cyclists are a safety hazard or impediment to driving instead of legitimate users of public roadways. Instead, Share the Road signs promote safety and a new attitude. It’s hard to be against sharing.

I happen to believe, though, that cyclists should expand their view of the concept of sharing. It seems like they not only have the responsibility to share in the expense of the signs and other educational projects, but also share the responsibility to do their part to promote courteous and safe sharing of the roads. Not obeying traffic laws or giving motorists the universal salute do not promote positive culture change but do cause more conflict and hazards.

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