Message to Oakland bicyclists: Obey traffic laws

Motorists share only half of the responsibility in keeping streets safe.I’ve seen some odd things in Oakland, but last Wednesday was the first time I saw a bicycle with a pool noodle attached to it. When I read the accompanying sign — “This Is What 4 Feet Looks Like” — I understood.

The noodle at the back of the bike was there to illustrate a rule that every driver needs to understand: the distance between a car and a bicycle should remain at a minimum of four feet. Sadly, this public service announcement was made in response to the bicycle tragedies that occurred earlier this summer.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the two accidents involving motorists interfering with bicyclists occurred on Penn Avenue during the same week. Naturally, these accidents raised numerous concerns about bike safety in a city that is working to become more cyclist-friendly. The city is working with Bike Pittsburgh and PennDOT to remove some bikes from the busiest streets and prevent reckless driving by motorists.

But as with any conflict, there must be room for concessions on both sides. Bike advocates might bemoan the overall lack of bike lanes in the city, but drivers are just as correct to point out the speed of and sometimes reckless passing by bikers on some of the busiest traffic arteries in Pittsburgh.

Sorry, cyclists. I have to side with those irritated drivers. You make me cringe. My quick list of grievances:

1. You are not a pedestrian. 

Bikes do not belong on the sidewalk, regardless of what you might think. The sidewalk is for those of us who are walking. This should theoretically force cyclists onto the street, where they are to obey traffic laws. The sidewalk is too narrow for both walkers and bikers. The ruling? Act as cars do. This is the law.

This is often ignored: At four-way crosswalks — like the one on Forbes Avenue and Craig Street — bikers are often seen crossing vertically, horizontally, diagonally, upside-down and backwards — any which way they please. This is very unlike a car’s behavior. I don’t know what to expect. You are too unpredictable.

2. You make one-way streets hazardous.

Students are more than familiar with the mess of one-way streets in South Oakland. The setup is confusing for cars and awkward for walkers. But once new residents get it, they still have to look both ways. It’s not unlikely a bike is coming down the wrong way. Again, this is very unlike a car’s behavior.

3. You somehow manage to take up the entire road.

Just to make me even more nervous as I try not to hit anyone’s side mirror amid the parallel-parking zoos of Oakland, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill, cyclists insist on riding side by side in a horizontal line, taking up the entire width of the lane.

This isn’t the “Do-Re-Mi” scene from “The Sound of Music.” This is a major road. When people on bikes weighing in at a mere few pounds are taking up more space than my 2000-plus pound Honda Civic, something has to change. There are those signs that say “Share The Road” picturing a car and a bicycle. Sharing is a two-way street (unlike those described in grievance No. 2.

So to the bikers: What has given you this traffic immunity? You float in limbo between pedestrian and vehicle. As a pedestrian, I’m pushed aside as you fly past me. As a driver, I am slowed by your pedaling eco-friendly health-conscious nature, worrying that the bike’s brakes may fail, causing you to tumble in the direction of my car. I am frustrated.

Grievances aside, you do deserve a bit of credit. We know that bicycles provide an economically friendly alternative to driving a car for many individuals, especially those who live in Oakland and its surrounding neighborhoods. It’s a great way to stay healthy as well, considering that standing shoulder-to-shoulder on a packed 71A isn’t burning any calories and is inducing claustrophobia.

At the end of the day, both cyclists and drivers alike should follow the rules of the road, whether by maintaining a safe distance or going the “right” way down the one-way street. But if you’re going to make your own rules, the least you could do while you bike past me on the sidewalk is warn me with a simple “passing on your left.”

Email Claire at cve3@pitt.edu. Please wear a helmet.