In reference to Danielle Spatz’s Monday article, I’ve been a cyclist in this town for eight years now, and every single incident in which I’ve been close to being hit or actually hit by a car has been on campus.
Sure, there are a lot of cyclists on campus, a fair share of them being inconsiderate by breaking laws and weaving in and out of traffic with a sense of entitlement.
However, even those of us who signal and stop at lights and stop signs have to contend with inconsiderate drivers, many of whom may come from cities with few cyclists. It’s hard to be a “defensive biker” when a driver passes you and then immediately turns without warning.
I don’t have a horn, so short of throwing things at them from my bike, I, like most cyclists, have no way to get the attention of a driver with the windows rolled up.
If the University Police wants there to be fewer accidents, I’d suggest they place signs at the entrances to campus asking drivers to watch out for their two-wheeled friends when turning and to yield to bicyclists trying to enter traffic just like cars are required to do for buses.
Gainesville prides itself on regularly being ranked as one of the friendliest cities in the nation to cyclists thanks to having segregated bike lanes, numerous municipal bike racks and a Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Board that works with the City Commission.
Now it’s up to the law enforcement as well as cyclists to make it one of the safest cities as well.
Editor's note: This letter refers to this article.
