Motorists and Bicyclists: Sharing the Roads, or Fighting for Turf?

The Yankees and Red Sox; Hatfields and McCoys; Democrats and Republicans—and now, for something completely different, motor vehicles and bicyclists.

The battle for turf—or in this case, roadways—between those who operate a motor vehicle, and those who prefer to use pedal power, is nothing new, and might just go on until dust. But there seems to be a newfound respect among the ancient adversaries, even as a new law has come into effect, with peaceful co-existence a possibility.

Concerns on the part of drivers and riders naturally intensifies during the warm-weather months, with hordes of cyclists flocking through the river villages. But the problem certainly is not limited to those few months when the sun shines brightly, as cyclists are now taking to the roads year-round, making common sense and patience that much more critical.

“Our feeling is this,” says Rita Joachim, a veteran rider and a member on the board of the Rockland Bicycling Club. “We tell our members to follow club policy: red means stop, ride single file except where road conditions and the law permits. Through the years we’ve made efforts with the and to get enforcement because Rockland is ideal riding terrain. Thousands and thousands of people ride every weekend up through Grand View, Piermont and South Nyack—the primary route up to Bear Mountain and beyond.”

In addition to the influx of riders, and the vehicles, bicyclists must also be aware of pedestrians.

“I was always taught to yield to pedestrians; what’s the big deal?” says Joachim. “We want it to be a clean, greener environment, a happier world. We’re not looking to take over the roads, but not be harassed or bullied, or have bottles thrown at us, which some people have done.”

Veteran rider Robert Van Cura of Upper Nyack, the Grand View chief of police, didn’t exactly embrace the term “bicycle wars” when it was brought up.

“It’s one of those deals, sometimes it seems that way,” said Van Cura, who tends to be a solo rider, but was an active member of the Rockland Bicycling Club at different times.

“I can speak from both perspectives,” Van Cura said. “I see what cyclists and motorists do as a group, and obviously it’s dangerous for both. But just as obviously, it’s more dangerous for the cyclist. It used to be weekends when you’d see tons of persons, more riders through the river villages. Now it’s more of a daily thing, year-round.”

However, everyone involved would probably agree that the situation heightens in the warm-weather months, and when cyclists ride in groups.

“It’s relatively light until April, then heavy until Halloween,” commented Piermont Chief of Police Michael O’Shea, whose department has a bicycle patrol that comes into good use during special events in town, such as the recent Bastille Day.

Regarding the enforcement of traffic laws—both Van Cura and O’Shea emphasized that cyclists must adhere to codes just the same as motor vehicles—issuing tickets is only one part of an equation that seeks to promote a mutual understanding on the roadways.

“We like to educate, prevent, and enforce,” says O’Shea, noting that meetings have been held with cycle clubs in an attempt to get riders on the same page with drivers, whose biggest complaints usually relate to groups of cyclists who fail to ride single file, which they must do when being passed.

In November, New York passed a law requiring drivers to observe a safe passing distance. No tangible measure for "safe distance" was stated in the law, and advocates pushed for three feet of room.  However, given the varying nature of driving environments—“Sometimes the roadways get very narrow,” O’Shea offered—it would have been very difficult to put a distance requirement in place.

Those who are in vehicles and who do not provide this safe distance can be pulled over and given a ticket for a moving violation.  New York became the 17th state to enact such a provision, and this law will coexist with existing laws for bicyclists that include a requirement that no more than two riders are allowed to ride abreast and that bicyclists are required to fall into single-file lines if they are either passing or being passed by a vehicle.

Despite education, prevention and enforcement, each year nearly 5,500 cyclists are hit by vehicles in the state, leading to nearly 50 fatalities (42 were killed on New York roads in 2008). These numbers have held steady in recent years, but the new law has not been in place long enough to see what the future holds.

NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law, § 1122-a. Overtaking a bicycle (aka “three foot law.”): The operator of a vehicle overtaking, from behind., a bicycle proceeding on the same side of a roadway shall pass to the left of such bicycle at a safe distance until safely clear thereof.

The common-sense, perhaps long overdue legislation was spurred by tragedy. Avid bicycling enthusiast Merrill Cassell died last fall after being sideswiped by a Bee-Line bus as he rode on Route 119 in Greenburgh in Westchester County.

Cassell, a member of the Westchester Putnam Bike Walk Alliance, had advocated for ways to make bicycling a viable transportation option in the suburbs, including putting bike racks on Westchester County buses. The legislative push to mandate safe passing of bike riders became known as “Merrill’s Law.”

But cyclists, too, must use common sense, and are mandated to ride single file when being passed, although they are permitted to ride in tandem when road conditions allow.

The Piermont PD has issued 50 violations to cyclists to date, with the total usually numbering 75-100 a year.

Grand View PD issued 62 summonses in 2010.

“We’re trying to mix education with enforcement,” said Van Cura. “Oftentimes we’ll stop them (cyclists), and make sure they are held to the same standard as motor vehicles. We encourage safety … talk to bike shops, and (bike) clubs about these issues.”

O’Shea, noting that New York State has designated Piermont as an official bike route, concurs that the object is not to issue tickets, and also notes that the biggest complaints from motorists (about two-three a month) are in reference to those bicyclists who refuse to yield, riding two and three abreast.

“The object is not to issue tickets, but we want voluntary compliance,” he states. “Our job is to make sure when people come here, our people are in a safe environment. One way is to make sure traffic moves in a safe and efficient manner. We enforce speeding laws, too. It all goes back to education, prevention, and enforcement, and high visibility patrols.”

Joachim, of the Rockland Bicycling Club, pushes for riders to be aware of the need to follow signs, to follow local traffic codes, and not ride two abreast when being overtaken. But she is also well-aware that motorists can play a major role, too, in achieving a peaceful co-existence.

“The driving public can be vitriolic, and prone to violence,” she says, speaking from personal experience. “There are some merits to some of their arguments. Take River Road for instance. It’s simply not revolutionary to ask motorists, who can go 25 mph, to put up endlessly with bicyclists down the middle of the lane. Our club urges members to pull over where possible, even if legally allowed to take the middle of the lane.

“Then again,” she adds, “sometimes cars think nothing of cutting off bicyclists; sometimes it seems they just don’t give a damn.”

Joachim, along with the Chiefs O’Shea and Van Cura, and Lieutenant Donald Butterworth in Orangetown, preach common sense, and courtesy.

“We have to come to some sort of co-existence,” Joachim said. “Hopefully, motorists will come to expect to see bicycles, and give us some leeway when we’re at the edge (of the road). And we want bicyclists to behave in a way that does not antagonize motorists, and follow traffic codes, and take a common-sense approach.”

Joachim also said she wants law enforcement departments, whose resources are not unlimited, to stop unsafe vehicle operators, no matter what vehicle—whether it be a car or a bicycle.

 “Every department has been very sympathetic to bicyclists,” she points out, also mentioning the input of Arlene Miller at the Rockland County planning and zoning level. “They have been tremendously supportive. Everyone’s heart is in the right spot.”

The biggest problem, she said, echoing O’Shea and Van Cura, seems to be a lack of education.

“On both folks’ part,” Van Cura said. “Cyclists have rights, but they are required to follow all the traffic laws like cars do. Unfortunately, I see cyclists regularly disregarding traffic laws. I’ve seen them do dangerous things; I’ve seen my share of bad accidents on the job, and doing charity rides for the state firefighters memorial. I know how tough it can be, especially on narrow roads. Again, it boils down to common sense, and patience.”

And perhaps just a slight change of attitude from a small group of cyclists, and motorists.

“A very small percentage (of people) cause the problem,” O’Shea says, noting that Piermont, for many reasons including its proximity to the river, is a focal point for cyclists.

Butterworth said complaints about bicyclists in the town, where it’s relatively wide-open, are sporadic, and even in Nyack, “it’s not a big focus. Once in a while bicyclists get in the way of traffic, don’t stop at signs or don’t obey traffic laws--the problem pops up from time to time. People get really aggravated and call us … we do some enforcement and it (problem) seems to rectify itself.”

“For people coming from Manhattan, Piermont is a good first stop—to shop, eat, rest, refuel with water, and continue,” Chief O’Shea said, noting that on some days, visitors of every sort can number between 5,000 and 10,000. “It’s a waterfront community, a popular destination, a beautiful place, but small, narrow roadways make travel difficult. We have five marinas, a lot of different people doing different things. That’s probably the biggest part of the equation, but it’s only a part of the equation. We will continue to educate, prevent, and enforce. I think our efforts are working.”

Butterworth adds that “some motorists are courteous, and some are not, too. The town is pretty open, but in Nyack there are some spots where you get motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians together. Still, we really don’t have a major issue with it at this point. It usually becomes an issue if people complain.”