THE PRESS MONDAY, JUNE 1. 1981. The darker side of cycling

Press, 1 June 1981, Page 12

THE PRESS MONDAY, JUNE 1. 1981. The darker side of cycling

Cyclists are such worthy people. By using bicycles instead of cars they reduce pollution and traffic congestion; they save energy and foreign exchange; they improve their own fitness and set an example to the community by showing that a spirit of daring, a readiness to take risks and to brave the elements, is not wholly lost in these comfortable times.

Unfortunately, in Christchurch, a considerable number of cyclists frequently break the law. At night many cyclists stand out not because of their lights — because many are not carrying any that are much use — but because they are the only road users with the courage or stupidity to ignore traffic lights.

No doubt the majority of cyclists are law-abiding users of the roads. Surely most parents make sure their children’s bicycles are properly equipped; most adults carry the correct lights fore and aft and obey the rules' of the road. Yet somehow, at night, many bicycles appear to carry no lights, or no lights that are of much use. And at intersections controlled by lights a cyclist who waits for the green seems to be the exception. Cyclists complain, with some justification, that they are not accorded proper respect by motorists. Riding a bicycle can be hazardous, especially in winter. All the more reason, surely, for all cyclists to set an example by obeying the

rules of the road themselves, and for carrying lights which make them readily identifiable.

A variety of lighting and reflecting devices are available which can be attached to various parts of a bicyle or its rider. They may.be useful in giving extra warning. They are no substitute for a steady white light pointing forward and a steady red light pointing back. A gyrating light on a cyclist’s leg, glimpsed intermittently through a Christchurch smog, tells a motorist only that something stirs in the murk. It gives little indication of the speed, distance, or direction of movement of the wearer.

From the numbers of cyclists who can be seen breaking the law every night in Christchurch, it appears that the Ministry of Transport has decided it has more important laws to enforce with its limited staff. Yet cyclists are especially vulnerable. They ought to have a special interest in seeing that traffic laws are observed by everyone, including themselves.

A blitz against badly lit and badly ridden bicycles would help to restore a sense that, after all, all citizens are equal on the roads. As it is, by behaving as though they had special exemption from rules which others must obey, a section of cyclists is bringing the whole brave fraternity into contempt.