Yes, follow the link below, good information
http://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/lawspolicies/default.html Jeff ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Steve Reid Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 12:35 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [COWs] Don't let misdeeds of a few taint all cyclists -- or all motorists Great read surfdude, thanks for posting! Does anyone have firsthand knowledge whether NC has protections for cyclists in our motor vehicle laws? It would be nice to share that info with drivers and cyclists alike here. Maybe one day...far from now, I too will be up to the pace that surfdude carries...hey, a guy can dream, right? On Fri, Oct 22, 2010 at 11:44 AM, ssp <[email protected]> wrote: ... interesting read. Charleston SC where a cycling advocate recently died via car/bike accident. http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/oct/22/22wilborn/ Don't let misdeeds of a few taint all cyclists -- or all motorists BY PETER WILBORN AND TOM BRADFORD Friday, October 22, 2010 Readers of this newspaper see it often: a growing anger directed toward bicyclists. As two bicycle advocates on the front lines of this conflict, we would like to offer information and perspective. Each of us rides a bike daily but the bicycle is not our exclusive mode of transportation. Like most cyclists, we also drive cars just as most people who drive cars also ride bicycles. Painting one group as arrogant or another as ignorant is unhelpful and inaccurate -- a phony dichotomy giving rise to aggressive finger pointing that not only clouds the situation but creates obstacles to improving it. Bicycles are everywhere. More and more Charlestonians are discovering the joy, independence and camaraderie of riding for sport, transportation and fun. More people on bicycles means less gasoline burned, more calories burned and fewer cars backed up at red lights. The effects on waistlines, medical bills and our dependence on foreign oil is all to the good. But no matter how you may feel about the growing number of cyclists, we are here to stay. Charleston has all the attributes that can make it one of the nation's great cycling cities, and cycling here will continue to grow. The primary problem and the real cause of the current tension between bicyclists and drivers: our transportation infrastructure does a pitiful job of accommodating bicycles. Our roads have no shoulders, our streets no bike lanes, and our rivers (not including the Cooper) no safe crossings. This lack of basic provisions pits road users against one other. Many bicyclists ride with apprehension under unsafe conditions. Some break the rules in self-protection. Other would-be bicyclists just don't dare to ride our roads. It took a major intervention of civic groups to demand a bike/ pedestrian lane on our new Cooper River Bridge, now a roaring success. But even our greatest triumph is checkered: for many users, a car ride to foot of the bridge is the only safe way to get to it. The next problem is that most drivers remain unaware that S.C. law has special provisions protecting bicyclists. The law requires that a driver maintain a "safe operating distance" around a cyclist. In addition, it is a criminal offense for a driver to harass or intimidate a cyclist. And yes, it is legal for two bicyclists to ride side-by-side. Another factor is the poor behavior of some cyclists. There has been no widespread bicycle education campaign in this country for a long time. As a result, ignorance and confusion about the basic rules of the road prevail among certain cyclists (including college students). Because we were upset about the rise in the number of bicycle-car collisions and we constantly receive complaints about the safety of our roads, the two of us met with Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen in early 2009. The chief was rightfully concerned by the conduct of drivers and cyclists. Charleston Moves and mybikelaw.com undertook a variety of efforts, including distribution of safe riding pamphlets and offering training courses for cyclists. We are currently producing a video safety campaign. Just last month, we met again with Chief Mullen and other city officials, everyone convinced that more must be done. Accordingly, police have begun ticketing cyclists for violations of the city's newly revised bicycle ordinance. This development has puzzled and angered some cyclists. But this enforcement is welcomed and justified. The police are driven by the desire to make Charleston safer for cyclists and motorists alike. We applaud Chief Mullen for making cycling safety a priority and for taking an even-handed approach, sending the message to drivers and cyclists to obey the rules of the road. The basic rules for cyclists: 1) Cyclists should ride in the direction of traffic; 2) Cyclists should ride on the right side of their lane; 3) Cyclists should not ride at night without front and rear lights; 4) Cyclists should obey traffic signals. As Charleston makes strides to become a world-class cycling city, the current tension on the roads is a necessary growing pain. The city has just been awarded a Bronze Medallion by the League of American Bicyclists as an entry-level "Bicycle-Friendly City." Not long ago, Mayor Joseph P. Riley was joined by other government officials in announcing that Ashley River Road will soon have bicycle lanes. The city is pressing efforts to make a safe bicycle-pedestrian crossing over the Ashley River. Despite all this progress, Charleston and surrounding municipalities have make-up work to do. Charleston's transportation policies and priorities were blindsided by the skyrocketing use of bicycles and we now lag behind other comparable cities, most notably Greenville. Greenville's newly opened Swamp Rabbit Trail (linking Travelers Rest to downtown Greenville by way of Furman University) is a perfect example of how we might complete our own West Ashley Greenway, still mostly unimproved and underutilized. Greenville has also provided safe bicycle lanes in many downtown roads. It provides a model for the glaring and dangerous lack of infrastructure downtown, especially around the College of Charleston. We are heartened by the city's recent efforts and we applaud it for seeing the important role of cycling in the future of our community. As the infrastructure improves and as more bike lanes are created and safe and accessible cycling routes developed, we ask that both drivers and cyclists take a deep breath, look more courteously on one another, and share the road. Peter Wilborn is a Charleston attorney at Derf-ner, Altman and Wilborn and MyBikeLaw.com. Tom Bradford is acting director of Charleston Moves, a local advocacy group for alternative forms of transportation. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] <mailto:cyclistsofwilson-cows%[email protected]> . For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en. -- Steve Reid www.defmo.zenfolio.com "A billion here, a billion there...pretty soon it adds up to real money" -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en.
