Letter: Equip bicyclists with appropriate signage

Steve Sovern's interesting letter was published Monday: 'Laws aren't enough to protect cyclists,” focusing on the reality that 'somebody's gonna get killed.”

It reminded me of last week, when I was riding my motorcycle on a blacktop, 35 mph zone. I came up behind a bicyclist. Plenty of room for one two-wheeler to pass another two-wheeler in the same lane. But I said, 'No, bikes get the whole lane,” so I waited until I could pass in the other lane, as traffic backed up behind me.

As I pulled away, I wondered why bikes and motorcycles should or shouldn't have the same rights on a street. Then I realized, bikes are slow-moving vehicles, whereas motorcycles flow with the traffic. In Iowa, tractors, mopeds and horse-pulled buggies, for instance, are slow-moving vehicles and there are regulations about signage - bright orange triangles, orange flags, properly marked.

So, I suppose if slow-moving bicycles deserve equal rights on roadways, they should be regulated with clearly-marked 'slow-moving vehicle” signage as well.

I suppose we should do everything we can to avoid accidents and deaths.

Pete Looney

Marion