Concern rides high

I'm not sure that you portrayed both sides fairly in your May 12 article "Cyclists pedal scared on busy Triangle roads." You mentioned the valid perspective of the cyclists, but drivers were represented by a guy who was "annoyed" at the cyclists.

I'm not annoyed. I'm very concerned. I'm concerned I might have to choose between running into a cyclist or crashing head-on into an oncoming vehicle. The road by my Wake County neighborhood is popular with bicyclers, but it has no shoulder, many tight turns and hills. Even while going the speed limit, I can quickly come upon a cyclist and have to react in a split second. Is there enough space for me, the cyclist and the big truck coming at me in the two narrow lanes? Not usually.

I'm forced to slam on the brakes, often with my daughter in the car. Am I angry? No, I know several people who bike these roads. I really don't have a solution, but to keep saying that the "cyclists have the same right to the road" over and over is not going to make the situation any less nerve-wracking for drivers like me or safer for the cyclists.

Elizabeth Zirkle

Wake Forest

Biking benefits

Your May 12 article on cycling in the Triangle grossly exaggerated the dangers of cycling. I've been commuting by bicycle for 16 years in Chapel Hill, Durham and RTP. My experience has been that the vast majority of motorists are polite and courteous. Likewise, I try to be courteous when cycling by being visible, riding predictably and following the rules of the road.

My heart goes out to families of cyclists killed or injured by inattentive or impaired drivers. Such drivers pose a danger not just to cyclists, but also to pedestrians and other motorists. I'm not ignoring this danger, but I also don't allow my vigilance to turn to paranoia. I've had a few close-calls as a cyclist but many more as a motorist, including a head-on crash I was lucky to survive. There is risk in every activity.

The benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks. Cycling is an inexpensive, nonpolluting, healthy, fun and, yes, safe way to get to work. North Carolina's climate is suited for cycling year-round, and I stay fit without a gym membership. When I get to the office in the morning, I'm refreshed, happy and ready to start the day. I urge you to try it!

Lawrence Trost

Durham

Cycling not useless

Regarding your May 12 article "Cyclists pedal scared on busy Triangle roads":

I see that you (rightly) featured a few tragic accidents, but I've yet to see you ever mention, let alone analyze, the 1,500+ car deaths per year in North Carolina. Should we be "scared" to drive?

I regularly commute to Cary from Raleigh and often home again -- from two to five times a week. Do I see people drive dangerously or abusively toward cyclists? Occasionally, yes. However, to write an article that makes cycling sound bad or indeed useless is to blatantly disregard the multitudes of ways that good can come from cycling -- especially now with overcrowding, environmental issues, obesity.

You wrote about a 21-year-old driver who has been charged in a cyclist's death and yet quoted another 21-year-old as if he speaks with the voice of the public about cyclists being "annoying." Your entire article was so painfully biased as to be hard to be believed.

James Dodge

Raleigh

Change the laws

Your front-page photo May 12 illustrated the problem perfectly: Bicycles were not designed to safely travel streets and highways designed for today's motorized traffic. Had bicycles been invented yesterday rather than 100 years or so before the automobile, there would be no serious thought of allowing them on our public roads. It would make about as much sense as allowing us to get out there on roller skates or go-carts.

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