The Tour of Missouri has come and gone, but hopefully its after effects will continue to generate positive press like this. Bill Graham, The Star’s Northland columnist, has a great column imploring motorists to slow and for everyone to be a little more accommodating. The column also garnered a mention by Paul Dorn, national bike commuting expert.

The Kansas City Star
Posted on Tue, Sep. 18, 2007

Respect bicyclists on the road
BILL GRAHAM COMMENTARY

The bicyclist guided his two-wheeler near the pavement’s outer edge, avoiding a narrow gravel shoulder and ditch to his right.

He leaned forward to pedal up a slight grade. Suddenly the sound of one car approaching from the front and another from the rear made him pause and nervously look back.

This was no chance encounter for the Tour of Missouri, which kicked off last week with a leg that included tour de Northland in Platte County.

No, this was a guy with a backpack and nice work clothes who pedaled up North Roanridge Road toward his job in the maze of businesses near the busy intersection of Interstate 29 and Northwest Barry Road.

I decided I could pass him on the left without colliding with the oncoming car. I was correct. But it was a little closer than I liked.

My fault.

Had I to do this encounter over again, I’d slow down, let the oncoming car pass and give more respect to the cyclist’s right to the road.

You see, bicyclists have the same legal right to use the pavement for transportation as a person piloting a motorized vehicle.

Haste makes us impatient, though.

We get bored driving the same old roads all the time and we start pressing the gas pedal to get wherever we’re going quickly. Improved street and highway designs and coordinated traffic lights have enabled us to keep rolling without the mental annoyance of a slow down.

Our brains are now wired to drive unimpeded to what we consider all-important destinations, just like we’re used to switching TV channels effortlessly with a remote control. We can daydream or talk to friends on cell phones with only passing attention to the road and the steering wheel.

So our habits are jarred when a bicyclist is visible through the windshield, moving at what seems like a slow speed with their body fully exposed to harm.

Well friends and neighbors, it’s time for an attitude adjustment on our part.

The Tour of Missouri was a most excellent addition to the state and we’re lucky it rolled through the Northland.

But what’s next?

I’d suggest we need to keep working on making bicycling a bigger pastime in our communities.

A starting point is for motorists to give cyclists more respect on the road.

Secondly, we need to support the bicycling community when they seek extra money for a highway project to ensure that extra space for bicyclists is added to the pavement width.

I rode a bicycle everywhere when I was a kid. We roamed the neighborhoods on bicycles like tribal nomads. When my dimes became few in college, I began riding a bicycle to class and jobs. I enjoyed it so much I began riding more than ever for pleasure.

People still do.

But the urban sprawl street designs of the 1960s into the 1990s were built with the automobile in mind, not pedestrians or bicyclists. The pace of driving, and life in general, has sped up, too.

That discourages bicycle use.

Among the instructions given to my child when he started middle school this year was the admonishment that bicycles were not allowed as transportation to school. It’s too dangerous because of all the automobile traffic around the schools.

That’s a badly designed school campus.

We’re more pedestrian and bicycle friendly in community planning now. Both Platte and Clay county leaders have done well at trail planning and building. They’ve pushed for bicycle lanes on highways.

Still, there’s plenty of work to be done to improve safety for bicyclists on the street and the highway.

It’s a pollution-free form of travel that helps the users save money and improve their physical health. Every time someone chooses to ride a bike instead of driving, we all benefit a bit.

So slow down and respect bicyclers on the road. Let’s look for ways to improve riding conditions on the pavement.

A bicycle on the street is a sign of good health, for the rider and the community.

To reach Bill Graham, call 816-234-5906 or send e-mail to bgraham@kcstar.com.