Cyclists, drivers both needs to be civil

The Aug. 14 guest column (Ed Fallon) about biking on secondary roads struck a chord with me, especially since I had been royally chewed out by a driver for being on a county road in Wisconsin, in a state long known to be friendly to bikers. I had little chance to explain to her that the nearby trail did not happen to lead to where I wanted to go, and that I was well to the side of the traffic lane.

One of the beauties of Iowa is the secondary road, “farm-to-market,” if you will. I have been biking on them for over 30 years. Yes, I prefer trails, but until there is enough money to have trails in all areas of the state, going all different directions, it still means that cars and bicycles will share the road.

And for those who believe that secondary roads are only for agricultural use, perhaps slow-moving tractors and large planters should not ever be on designated national or state highways.

With our current fuel crisis, it is painfully obvious that we are paying for decades of a “concrete-and-cars” mentality. As Cedar Rapids looks for ways to make itself a bicycle friendly city, it is the bicyclists who need to support this by riding safely and choosing routes that keep them out of high-traffic areas.

Robert Naujoks

Marion