Round Lake and Babcock
I’m not going to get into the habit of posting every article relating to an accident involving a bicycle and a vehicle, but this one is of unique interest to me personally, as it happened on a road - Round Lake - that I ride on frequently. Also, the crash occurred near a road with which I share a name.
While I am happy to report that the majority of the comments, usually loaded with tangential diatribes against “self-righteous” cyclists “blocking traffic” and “running stop signs” when any mention of the word bicycle occurs within the article, are pretty reasonable.
Of course, there are a few bone-headed comments, the most notable among them being this one, posted by peachblossom:
Wrong, you don’t have rights, unless you pay taxes to ride your bikes on the roads, like we do driving our vehicles, than[sic] you can have rights.
Although I’m sure that most readers are more knowledgeable about bicycle laws than peachblossom, I’d like to point out what Michigan law has to say about the rights of cyclists on the road:
Each person riding a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, or moped or operating a low-speed vehicle upon a roadway has all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to the provisions of this chapter which by their nature do not have application. (Michigan Vehicle Code, 257.657)
As you can see, Michigan Vehicle Code specifically grant cyclists precisely the same rights and responsibilities of a motorist, without qualifications of taxes or any other fees.
Therefore, even those for whom a bicycle is the sole mode of transportation have as much right to the road as a driver. But the truth is, most cyclists, even those who, like myself, use a bicycle for the vast majority of their commuting and general transportation needs, own and use vehicles regularly, and therefore pay both the registration and gasoline taxes that, together, make up the majority of the transportation fund.
But even if peachblossom’s flawed argument were the standard, anyone who uses public transportation such as a city bus, or purchases gasoline, even for a lawnmower or any other gas powered device, is paying taxes toward the maintenance of the roads, as is anyone purchasing any product that is moved by truck along Michigan roadways, because, obviously, trucks use gasoline, and the taxes paid on the gasoline used to fuel the trucks that bring the products that we purchase and use everyday, including bicycles and inner tubes and Clif Bars and lycra shorts or whatever, contribute to the transportation fund.
In summary, peachblossom’s argument is without merit, both in the real world and in the fantasy world he/she/it apparently lives in.
From the Lansing State Journal:
VICTOR TWP - The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a traffic crash that involved a vehicle and a bicyclist in Victor Township Monday.
According to investigators, at about 4:18 p.m. a driver in a 2006 Saturn Vue was traveling westbound on Round Lake Road when she reportedly struck a 22-year-old male bicyclist near Babcock Road.
The bicyclist, a Michigan State University student from Howell, was transported to Sparrow Hospital, where he was last reported to be in critical condition.
The driver of the vehicle, a 42-year-old Laingsburg woman, along with two young passengers, were not injured.
Names of those involved in the crash were not released by investigators.
The crash is not believed to be related to the “Sea to Sea 2008 Bike Tour,” in which more than 200 bicyclists rode along Price Road into Sleepy Hollow State Park Monday, said Sgt. Steve Brush of the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office.
I wish the cyclist a full and rapid recovery, and for everyone else - motorists and cyclists alike - stay safe!
Readers, has an bicycle-related accident in your area prompted you to change your route, or to avoid certain roads or types of roads altogether?
This thing has 2 Comments
Good post.
One thing you didn’t mention is that bicycles cause significantly less damage and wear to roads than cars and trucks. So, for the same contribution to the transportation fund, bikes are actually costing less to the state/county/whatever than motor vehicles.
I’d happily pay a fee register my bike, if it meant a dedicated bicycle transportation fund to pay for well-designed and maintained bike lanes, bike parking, etc., but considering the lower overall impact of bicycles on infrastructure in general, it would seem that funding a viable bicycle infrastructure would be in everyone’s interest.
Good point on the issues of cost and wear.
I’m not fully sold on bicycle registration, as I feel that most of us are, as at least part-time motorists, already paying into the cost of the infrastructure. And since, as you point out, the impact of bicycles is less than of cars, we are essentially paying more to use the same roads than full-time motorists.
One thing I wouldn’t mind seeing, however, is bicycle education programs for both motorists and cyclists. Motorists are largely ignorant of the rules of the road as they apply to bicycles, as are many cyclists - especially those who are new to using a bike as transportation. Living and working in a university town, I’ve seen far too many helmet-less, iPod-listening, phone-chatting, bicyclists cruising through intersections while traveling on sidewalks against the flow of traffic.