No cyclist is too 'serious' to safely use the
roadways and pathways
by Wendy Crooks, The Villager, Family Ties,
p.12A, June 6, 2002
Results of TBC meeting with The Villager editor, Michael Moore

I see many other families enjoying the bicycle paths, as well. Unfortunately there are some cyclists who apparently think they're too good for the bicycle path. We all pay so much money for the parks and pathways that it amazes me to see so many people not using them. Oh, I know the argument that they use, "We're 'serious' cyclists and we need to go faster than the pathways allow us to go. We can't have people in our way."

Well, I don't buy it. One of our neighbors is training for a triathlon, and just this morning I saw him cycling. I was relieved to see him because, believe it or not, he was on the bike path. How much more "serious" can you get than training for a triathlon? I guess he's just smart enough to realize he is safer on the bike path.

It is not just the fact that I have to share the road with the cyclists that bothers me. If they obeyed the traffic laws like the rest of us, perhaps that might be a different story. First many of them travel in packs. What happened to following in a single-file fashion? Next, almost without fail, they don't stop for stop signs. They just assume that you will give them the right of way and blow right through the stop signs.

Lately, I have noticed more than cars and cyclists on the roads too. Last weekend, I saw a pack of teens rollerblading on Woodlands Parkway. I thought to myself, "What's next?"

Well, today I saw what was next. We were on our way home from church when we saw three ladies adorned in their workout clothes. They were wearing rollerblades and pushing strollers. I've actually thought about doing that myself. I have a pair of rollerblades that are currently collecting dust because Cali and Will can't ride bikes or roller skate. What shocked me was what our 7-year old daughter noticed about the ladies.

"Mom, those ladies don't have anyone in their strollers. The strollers are empty," Courtney said incredulously.

I thought that maybe she was mistaken so I answered half-heartedly, "Really?"

A little bit later, we were on our way to get my van safety inspected when I saw two of the three ladies again. As I passed them on the street, I slowed down to check it out for myself. Sure enough, Courtney was right, no babies. Maybe the third woman realized how silly it looked to be rolling/strolling an empty stroller and decided to go home for her child. Well, at least they weren't putting their kids in danger of being run over by a car, too.

My husband, Bill, has come up with a slew of ways to rid the streets of these defiant non-path riders--- from water pistols to paint guns. Then there's the more traditional, open the door as you pass them on the road stunt. You know, just to scare them.

He thought about taking a small car onto the pathways to prove a point, but then he realized he would just annoy those good path users. He'd even come up with a "smoke them out" plan that is a bit more complicated. Not that I condone any of these forms of retaliation. It does, however, make it a bit more bearable to share the road with these people when you can laugh about it.

I don't know what the answer is. I suppose the police would have to get involved. If they would ticket those who cannot obey the law, perhaps they would at least begin to ride more responsibly. The laws are there for safety, and everyone knows the roads are dangerous enough for those in cars obeying the law, much less for those who choose to ignore them.

The Villager
1600 Lake Front Circle, Suite 190
The Woodlands, TX 77380
Ph: 281-367-5309
Fx : 281-363-3299

Results of the meeting of TBC board members and the editor of The Woodlands' The Villager

At a meeting on June 12, 2002, between TBC Board members Gail Hurley, Randy Wile and The Villager editor Michael Moore, there was considerable discussion on how to stop this kind of article from appearing again (see above), and how TBC might help to educate community members.

Mr. Moore said that for the most part people had sent very educational information on the Texas cycling laws to him through The Villager Web site. Others sent notes about their upset over the article and how it was very unfair to print such a disturbing view. About 70 to 80 emails had been received so far.

He mentioned that they had printed an apology on their Web site. He worked with Gail and Randy and agreed to have a monthly column for TBC to use to educate the area cyclists and residents about the rules related to sharing the road.

All in all, the meeting went very well with a friendly outcome. Mr. Moore is hoping that this will be the last of it and that things will improve with this new column.

Gail Hurley, TBC Board