Letter: Respecting cyclists, rude Missouri drivers

Chris McDaniel wrote this in a letter to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Having just ridden my bike through Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin this summer I felt compelled to throw in my two cents concerning the ongoing debate about bikes on the road.

I was not harassed, yelled at, told to "get off the road" or treated negatively in any way while touring through the Northwest.

On the contrary, motorists were tolerant and pleasant, often offering me help, water, or directions.

I have found that most people in St. Louis are polite, and if I follow the rules of the road they respect me. A few "bad apples" will yell and curse, but they are a minority. They need to know that bikes are here to stay. Get used to it. Slow down and drive carefully.

In the same issue of the Post-Dispatch, Rev. Kenneth A. Brown has some problems with the way trails intersect with roads in Forest Park:

On busy weekends, especially around the Zoo and Planetarium, park streets are lined so heavily with parked cars that it is nearly impossible for those using the trails to see approaching traffic. Yet there are no stop signs for the vehicular traffic. It is nothing short of a miracle that more people on foot, on skates and on bikes haven't been struck.

Wouldn't it seem more logical to require these vehicles to give the right of way to mothers pushing strollers, kids on skates and old men like me riding bicycles?