A love letter to local drivers
As we enter warm bicycling months, I’d like to share a few friendly reminders for drivers as more people start using bikes to get around. The vast majority of drivers are courteous, but even a single careless moment by a driver during someone’s 15-minute bike ride can make biking not feel worth it. Don’t be the driver that scares someone’s bike back into the garage for another year.
Cyclists are people, not obstacles. That person you’re passing can feel the wind from your car and hear your engine. They made a good choice today, so help them feel good making that choice another day.
Give more space than you think they need. It might look like a cyclist is riding too far out in the road, but remember what’s waiting at the edge: parked car doors that can swing open without warning, debris, and pavement that would barely register in a car but can send someone on two wheels into traffic. Cyclists aren’t being inconsiderate — they’re balancing on two wheels navigating an obstacle course you can’t always see. The 4-foot passing distance should be the minimum. Resist the urge to thread the gap. If you’re wondering whether you have enough room, you don’t.
Every bicycle is one fewer car. If you need to drive, you should be rooting for cyclists — that’s one less car stopped at the light ahead of you, one less car circling for your parking spot.
Get back on a bike! The reminders above will make more sense after one ride. If you’ve got a bike, pull it out — if you don’t, try Valley Bike for a month ($25). You’ll even get to feel the magic of an e-bike. It’s amazing how quickly we forget how great it is to ride.
Alex Bowman
Northampton