KEY POINTS:
Like many aggrieved minorities, cyclists are quick to hand out criticism but less eager to take it. Understandable, perhaps, given that the balance of power on the roads is so heavily stacked against their fragile machines, which share limited space with everything from speedy family sedans to the behemoths of the trucking industry.
Even so, the reaction to a motorist's letter this week complaining that he had been delayed by cyclists using a state highway as a racetrack has damaged their case by unsupportable exaggeration. One cyclist went so far as to argue that the innocuous complaint confirmed his belief that the roads are populated by an increasing number of impatient and aggressive drivers who target cyclists.
The hyperbole is so evident that it scarcely needs a comment. But what does need addressing is the ineffable air of superiority affected by some members of the pedal brigade. Not only are they supposedly fitter than motorists and more environmentally friendly, but they have their rights and one of these, enshrined in the road code, is to ride two abreast if they so wish.
They are, of course, correct but at the same time miss the point. As well as giving them rights, the road code puts a significant onus on them to take into account the particular needs of motorists who travel much faster then they do and therefore have less time to react to hazards.
Moreover, the code exhorts them to understand that their behaviour can affect motorists, especially by sudden changes of direction or delays. Thus motorists have legitimate complaints when they are held up or obstructed by cyclists.
Rather than overreacting, cyclists should take another leaf out of the road code: "Motorists and cyclists both have a right to use our roads, and both share a responsibility to understand and respect each other's needs."
