In response to Tony Sassone’s letter regarding bicycling on streets without shoulders (“Cyclists need to be cautious,” Our Readers’ Views, May 20): Cross country (or state) and recreational bicycling is quite different from getting around town. For a lot of cyclists, including me, bicycling is our main form of transportation, but not many of the streets we ride on to get to work, stores, school, appointments, etc., don’t have shoulders, let alone bike lanes. We want to be safe and not interfere with vehicular traffic, but sometimes we have little choice. And we’re just one type of road user; pedestrians also need space if there is no sidewalk.
Staying to the side of the road where cars are parked can also be dangerous; drivers open their doors or even pull out of parking spaces without looking. I was biking down Columbia Street a while ago, trying to stay out of the way of moving vehicles, when a car pulled out right next to me, knocked me off my bike and drove away. Fortunately, I was not severely injured, but it made me leery of cars on either side of me.
To end on a positive note, I want to thank the many drivers who slow down or swerve away from me when passing, make sure I’m through an intersection before proceeding and give me the right of way when I need it.
