"Their Original Purpose"

Ah, the Post's online venture Stltoday.com features an article about the Tour de Cure and grumbly motorists.

It starts a little something like this:

Trouble is brewing in the bucolic hills and dales north of Alton, say some who use the roads there for their original purpose - to handle cars, trucks and farm vehicles.

I think this author ought to be reprimanded. After all, is "bucolic" actually in the 6th grade vocabulary? Of course, I'm being snarky. Nice word, Sue.

The article goes on to state that riders of June 11th's Tour de Cure up by Grafton were discourteous. And I don't doubt that's the case. Bad drivers make bad cyclists. Some very simple rules apply:

• Slow traffic, stay to the right
• If you don't have a rear view mirror, you don't have any business riding two abreast.

One interviewee complains that an adjacent bike trail isn't used and wonders why. Well, interviewee, I'll tell you. It's often full of obstacles caused by downed limbs and branches. Try riding that on your road bike. Same deal with a bike lane that doubles as a shoulder - if it's not well maintained, my 100 psi very thin tire isn't going to be rolling over it.

So, there you have it. Bike-friendly Illinois is being non-bike-friendly. Remember this?

hln

Posted by hln at July 11, 2005 06:58 PM | Cycling | TrackBack