John Boyle
Mon, 05 Jul 2004 15:01:40 -0700
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http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2004/07/05lanesalongsouth.html By CHIP GUY Mike
Tyler enjoys seeing people riding their bicycles up and down Del. 1 near
Rehoboth Beach. It doesn't pollute the air and it cuts down on congestion. But
he cringes when they ride without helmets on the wrong side of a road that now
carries 80,000 vehicles a day in the beach area - a stretch that has proven to
be dangerous for cyclists. More
than 10 percent of the state's 350 accidents involving bicycles from 2001 to
2003 took place on Del. 1 from the Five Points intersection to Fenwick Island.
There were 12 such accidents last year, and five were serious. There were no
fatalities in 2003, but two people were killed the year before. The
state will try to make the road safer for bicycles when it adds a third lane to
a 2-mile section starting this fall. The shoulder will be widened for a bicycle
lane, and a marked lane for cyclists also will be added on Del. 1 south of
Rehoboth. A
$2 million, 4-mile bike trail linking Lewes to Rehoboth should be finished within
the next two years, giving riders an alternative to Del. 1. And state police
and the Department of Transportation also will use flashing message boards to
remind motorists to "share the road" with cyclists. Tyler
said road work alone won't be enough if cyclists don't obey the laws. "A
driver isn't looking for people like that," said Tyler, a longtime cyclist
and community activist from Lewes. To
get that message out, merchants, bicycle enthusiasts and state officials have
mounted an education program to alert cyclists to the dangers and make sure
they know the rules of the road. Many summer cyclists are foreign students who
work in the resort area. "I
think everyone's realized there's a real need for this," said Sgt. Ken
Hardy at Delaware State Police Troop 7 near Lewes. "So we need to be a
little more proactive in educating people as to what they should be
doing." Late
last month, DelDOT, a local bicycle club and area
chambers of commerce hosted a morning-long safety seminar, where 50 foreign
students and children got a primer on Delaware's bicycle laws. Police, DelDOT and others also have given away helmets and
distributed rules-of-the-road brochures in four different languages in stores
and through the chambers of commerce. Tony
Pezone, president of the Sussex Cyclists biking club,
said seminar organizers hope the students who attended will spread the message
to friends and other bike riders. "If
we can get people to ride on the right side of the road, wear helmets and use
lights at night, then we'll have made an impact," he said. Students
such Natalia Rabko, 21, and
Viktoryia Tsimokhina, 20,
both of Belarus, said exchange students need bicycles to get around, and that
means being out on the road with traffic. The two women are spending their
second summer working in Delaware. They
attended the seminar to make sure they've been following the rules for
bicyclists, which differ from those in European countries, where cyclists are
more common. For example, bicyclists there can ride against the flow of
traffic, which is not permitted in the United States. "Before,
we were guessing that we were probably doing it right," said Rabko, who has had roommates and acquaintances in bike
accidents here. "Now we know we are doing it right." Lt.
Ron Hagan said many cyclists ride against traffic, which is illegal and can
earn a $25 fine. Police usually just warn riders about what they're doing
wrong. He said many riders don't wear helmets, which are a good idea but not
required for riders older than 16. Rastislav "Rasto"
Duris, 22, of Slovakia, said the seminar was helpful
in providing basic safety information. He said that is important because he
doesn't think American drivers are prepared for cyclists. "It
just seems to me, in Slovakia, people are more used to cyclists than
here," said Duris, who uses a bike to commute to
two jobs in Rehoboth. "I wouldn't say we don't have accidents, but people
just pay more attention." Jim
Killion, general manager at the Rehoboth Beach
Country Club, said business operators have become increasingly concerned about
employees biking to work through heavy traffic. The
club employs at least a dozen foreign students, and one employee on a bike
already was involved in a minor accident with a car. An employee was seriously
hurt last year when a motorist rounded a turn, didn't see the student and
struck her. "Every
year, somebody gets smacked," Killion said.
"To me it's an issue, because this is unfamiliar territory to them. They
all come here and use bikes, and we know what the traffic is like." Tyler
said he hopes the education efforts can make things safer. He said cycling
advocates and the state also might want to consider creating a map of alternate
routes to get around problem areas such as Del. 1. "We're
satisfied we've created a beginning," Tyler said. "And we hope we'll
be able to improve what we've done." Reach Chip Guy at 856-7373 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] |