Letter: Bicyclists need to obey laws, too

There appear to be a lot of complaints from bicyclists regarding the way vehicles are parked by the bike lanes. I think that it is time they look at what they are doing wrong. All of these things I have witnessed firsthand while driving around Cedar Rapids.

I have had bicyclists ride out in front of me as they enter First Avenue from between the tracks and hotel. They then get right in front of the vehicle, riding three or four abreast and ride slowly, weaving back and forth. They run stoplights even though vehicles have to stop. I've seen them ride right in front of pedestrians who are attempting to cross the street on the walk light. I have seen them riding around downtown, after dark, with no headlight or reflector showing. Even though they have bicycle lanes they ride in motorized vehicles' lanes or on city sidewalks.

If Cedar Rapids wants to be a bicycle-friendly city and stop one of these riders from being seriously injured or killed, then laws need to be established for these riders and if caught disobeying these laws they need to be ticketed, just like a driver of a motorized vehicle would be.

Jim Cannon

Cedar Rapids