With growing number of cyclists, safety a concern

Bicycling is a time-honored form of recreation, but one with hazards that increase exponentially when automobiles enter the mix.

Anytime bicycles and automobiles share the road, there’s the potential for a collision. And these days, more and more cyclists are taking to the streets.

“I certainly can’t speak for Opelika, but at least in Auburn, we’re seeing more and more people, as summer approaches and goes on, that are out there bicycling on a more frequent basis than ever before,” said Auburn cyclist and city councilman Dick Phelan.

While cyclists are quick to point out the bike-friendly community locally, they also say more can be done to ensure that automobiles and cyclists safely share the road. But, overall, Phelan said the city is doing a good job of protecting its cyclists.

“I think, by and large, we’re doing pretty well,” he said. “We’ve certainly established a lot of cycling routes.”

Brandy Ezelle, Auburn’s bicycle coordinator, said the city has between 30 and 35 miles of bike lanes. Auburn’s bike-friendliness has also earned it a bronze medal designation from the League of American Bicyclists in the group’s Bicycle Friendly Communities Campaign.

The city of Opelika has about seven miles of bike lanes, most notably on Veterans Parkway, Dunlop Drive and Rocky Brook Road, city engineer Doc Dorsey said.

“When we resurface roads or restripe them, if there is room available on the roadway to provide the minimum width for a bike lane, then we try to stripe and mark those lanes,” he said.

However, the demand for bike lanes isn’t as great as it is in Auburn.

“We hear every now and then from folks about it,” Dorsey said. “Typically, our transportation modes in Opelika are going to be a little bit different than Auburn. Auburn’s got a little bit more active bicycling population. But we try to accommodate whenever we can.”

Strength in Numbers

Hazards increase, though, when the bicycle lanes end and vehicles and cyclists have to share a common space.

So how do cyclists deal with the added danger? Some bring a friend or two.

“The safest thing in any city is to ride in a group,” said Tommy Eden, a cyclist and an Auburn Bicycle Committee member. “Most people will always find that you’re going to have a lot safer riding event if you have at least one other cyclist with you.”

Following normal road rules is also a good way for bicyclists to stay safe.

“Bicycles are required by law to act as vehicles on the road, so they’re supposed to obey all the stop signs and traffic signals that a normal vehicle would,” Ezelle said.

The Auburn Police Division also tries to educate motorists and cyclists about how to share the roadway.

“We do try to educate the public, the motorists, about those things and even have … participated in the Auburn Travel With Care program that puts us out on the street, educating the public how bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists should relate to each other,” said APD Capt. Tommy Carswell.

But, even then, some motorists are none too pleased about having to share the road.

“I know there are some people that do not like bicyclists out there … and you can usually tell when they go by you, they honk and everything else,” Phelan said. “You know that they’re not very pleased with having to wait an extra 30 seconds in order to get around a group of bicyclists. On the other hand, the bicyclists have a reason to be there.”

Reducing the Risk

But even with education and preventive measures, vehicles and bicyclists do collide. The majority of these accidents that take place in Lee County happen in Auburn. In 2008 and 2009, vehicle-on-bicycle collisions reached double digits.

One of the most high-profile of these accidents was that of Opelika resident Ty Garner, who was struck by a car while cycling with a friend in 2009 on Auburn’s Shug Jordan Parkway, which does not have bike lanes.

Garner suffered severe head injuries and has undergone extensive rehabilitation. In May, Ty’s mother, Lynne, described how her son, once an avid athlete and business owner, lost his marriage, business and independence because of the accident.

To help prevent accidents like these, Eden has proposed a safe passing distance ordinance to the Auburn Bicycle Committee. He has since discussed the proposal with Auburn Police Chief Tommy Dawson, as well as Phelan.

“Part of this effort is because of accidents like Ty’s,” Eden said. “That’s not saying Ty’s accident wouldn’t have happened, but it clearly provides more of a biking advocacy position in the community.”

He said the goal wasn’t to have police get out a tape measure and mark off the proposed three-foot passing distance, but to remind motorists to be more mindful of cyclists.

“This community is such a bike-friendly community, and really out of everything that I think we could do, this would be a huge step forward,” Eden said.