spring brings out the bikers

Cyclists and Motorists in Missoula: Easing the Tension

By Kyle Lehman, 4-02-08

	An early spring cyclist in Missoula. Photo by Emily Haas

Three out of every five rides. That's the number of times Linsey Corbin estimates that drivers harass her as she logs hundreds of miles on her bike along the winding roads of Western Montana. A professional triathlete, Corbin says that she experiences more negative interactions with drivers in her home state than anywhere else.

"Of all the places that I've traveled, where I live is the worst," she says.

In the last few months, Corbin has experienced many unpleasant incidents from her saddle. Doors swing open from passing cars, horns blare, words fly. Corbin cranks on, perplexed by such unprovoked hostility. "It's frustrating because we're just as human as they are."

Corbin recently returned from Phoenix, Arizona, where she pedaled 1,000 miles in two weeks without being hassled once.

She occasionally cycles from her home in Missoula to as far away as Alberton and Seeley Lake to prepare for races all over the country. Whether alone or accompanied by cyclists from Five Valley Velo or Team Stampede, Corbin is careful to follow all traffic laws and encourages other cyclists to do the same.

"I think that if we abide by the rules there is no reason why we are getting honked at or yelled at," she says.

Missoula Sgt. Scott Hoffman says he hasn't heard of any cyclist/motorist incidents (accidents or harassment) since last summer. Corbin herself is hesitant to report them. But Hoffman says the lack of reports, in any season, doesn't mean incidents aren't happening -- people opine about irresponsible cyclists and irresponsible motorists in the Missoulian all the time. An up-tick in incidents is possible in the next couple weeks as spring weather conditions bring out the bikers, he says.

	Linsey Corbin riding to victory in 2007's Baja 70.3 in Mexico

Since the police department doesn't have recent data on cyclist/motorist incidents, Hoffman points to the Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation's (MIST) interactive "Hot Spots" map, which tracks user-inputted incident data.

Corbin thinks the key to easing the tension is to make motorists aware of the cyclists' vulnerability and assert cyclists' right to the road, and in Missoula bicycle advocacy groups are rallying behind this very cause.

In March, Jessica Roberts of Alta Planning, one of the country's largest alternative transportation design firms, was in town to discuss Missoula's transportation future with some of the city's bike/ped leaders. She said that any discussion of bicycle safety must also focus on increasing users, which in turn increases the visibility of cyclists and organizes citizens to work for improved infrastructure.

"Getting people on bikes politicizes them," she said.

Roberts cited a peer-reviewed study by Peter Jacobsen determining that more bikers and pedestrians on city streets decreases the per capita rate of injuries caused by motor vehicles. The study concluded that the visibility of cyclists was the leading factor in their safety.

"If you were able to see this increase in users anywhere in the world, you would see this decrease in the crash rate," Roberts said.

Jim Sayer, president of the Bike/Walk Alliance for Missoula (BWAM) and director of Adventure Cycling says the numbers are climbing, and he sees the city as being right in the middle of a nationwide push for better infrastructure and opportunities for biking.

"I'll be glad to start with doubling (the number of bikers in Missoula). Once you do that, it will have that virtuous feedback effect," he said.

In Roberts' experience, the most successful bike promotion programs have been the ones that provide useful information but avoid the sort of preaching that can be off-putting to motorists.

"We get accused of being communists because people think we're trying to drag Americans out of their cars," she said.

	The Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation has an interactive map of cyclist/motorist incidents in Missoula. Click the image to check it out

Roberts described Portland's SmartTrips program that provides personalized tips for several of the city's neighborhoods and encourages alternative transportation for daily errands. Roberts said the cost of the program is relatively small compared to the city's overall transportation budget.

"A single traffic light can cost almost $150,000," Roberts said. "That's like a whole summer of friendly staff helping you walk and bike more."

According to Alexandria Stokman of Missoula In Motion, the process requires that people take a new perspective on their daily activities and examine how they fit into the city's larger transportation system.

"Citizens say that they want the city to slow congestion...it's about seeing yourself as the source of congestion," she said.

Bob Giordano of MIST says that although Missoula has made strides toward a safer cycling environment, the city still has room to improve.

"We had three cyclists killed in one year. You can never say you have a great transportation city if you have that happen," he said.

Giordano echoes Stokman, and says the success of the system hinges on the responsibility of individual motorists and cyclists to become aware of the larger implications of their actions.

"One person flying down Higgins in an unsafe manner can taint the whole transportation system," he said.

Giordano thinks that in order to curb this behavior, advocates must work to educate motorists and bikers alike and improve infrastructure with roundabouts and interconnected bike lanes. But Giordano says it can be difficult to reach motorists due to the very nature of the automobile, which limits the critical interaction between driver and rider.

"There is no relationship by the nature of the motor vehicle," he said. "It's hard to have a relationship when someone is in a box."

For Linsey Corbin, getting drivers to acknowledge her right to the road is a matter of fostering an understanding that transcends one's chosen mode of transportation -- not an easy task, to be sure.

"Its frustrating for me because it's my job," she says. "These people don't go to where they work and get harassed."


The Bike/Walk Alliance of Missoula, Adventure Cycling Association and Missoula Bike Works are hosting a "Spring Kick-Off Party Cycling Party" Thursday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m. at Missoula Bike Works on S. Higgins. Click here for more BWAM events.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.