Letters: When cars and cyclists meet

Re “Sharing the road in Los Angeles,” Editorial, Feb. 24

Recently a nearby road was restriped to accommodate bicyclists. I would not object to the “road diet” we have experienced if I thought that bicyclists would observe the same rules of the road that automobile drivers must obey.

What I often see are cyclists running lights, failing to signal and driving through crosswalks. As a pedestrian, I have had to dodge bicyclists who used crosswalks as roads or failed to stop at regulated crosswalks while walkers were in them.

Bicyclists have the right to use public roads and receive courtesy from the motorists. They have reciprocal responsibilities of courtesy and obedience to traffic laws; in my experience, they often fail.

Susan Waelder

North Hollywood

I couldn’t be happier for local cyclists. The “3-foot rule” should make their journeys safer. Maybe they can stay off the sidewalks.

In my neighborhood, hardly a day goes by when my dog and I don’t have to dodge a cyclist. I’m OK with little kids riding their bikes on the sidewalk. It’s the teens and adults who should know better.

Bill Harper

Playa del Rey

As a former avid bicyclist in my younger days who now travels mostly by car, I have no objection to sharing the road with others.

When coming home during rush hour from the Westside to the Arroyo Seco Parkway, I get off at 9th Street in downtown L.A. as the freeway becomes increasingly slower. However, after the bike and bus lanes appeared, I started spending up to 20 minutes more on Figueroa.

This situation will become even worse for drivers once the barrier protecting the bike lane is in place. To me this is not sharing but a real inconvenience.

Also, I don’t see many bicycle riders using Figueroa. When I do, I notice that many do not observe the rules of the road.

Victoria Francis

Los Angeles

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