Editorial: Room for both cycles and cars

OPINION: There has been something of an outcry about cyclists and motorists lately.

Apparently they don't get on.

This may be true in places such as Auckland but on the whole, there is usually an accommodation on the road that sees everyone stay safe.

Of course there are exceptions and there have been several notable cases where cyclists have died in accidents. Cyclists will die in accidents because they are vulnerable. But it doesn't make it war.

The case of the Auckland GP who died while riding near Helensville may be a little different. In that case Ian Robinson, the 62 year old cyclist, died of massive head injuries after a hit-and-run. The vehicle that hit him is reported to have sped up behind him. The driver has yet to be found and several other people report being worried by the actions of the driver of a similar vehicle on other occasions.

Now, people's recollections are not the most substantial accounts of an incident and the idea of a rogue element on the roads is extreme. But either way, this was not your usual event, given the driver has still to be found.

And the case of another cyclist killed, while riding on the Kapiti coast, is allegedly accounted for by the driver of the vehicle which struck him being drunk. If that is so then it, too, is not another case which points to the need for rules to be changed to manage a precarious situation. The victim could just as well have been another motorist or a pedestrian.

Cyclists are taking risks when they head out on the roads for a ride, it's just in the nature of the sport. And cycling, anecdotally at least, is increasing in popularity. There is a scenario here that could make cycling more dangerous.

But most of the time cyclists encounter motorists who are aware of them and courteous. Unlike some of the recent reports, it is not necessary to be ever vigilant for the attack of the automobile.

Simple precautions are required; riding in bunches has to follow commonsense rules and it pays to wear bright colours. City-style bike courier riding round town is probably not appreciated in a place like Blenheim. And motorists need to be aware of cyclists and give them the space they need.

Cycle lanes are a fantastic invention and should be in place wherever possible. They don't make people immune but they provide a safer place for people to ride and are a constant reminder to motorists that the road is not their fiefdom.

On the whole, this sharing the roads thing works. So any would-be cyclists shouldn't be worried about getting out for a ride. It will be motivation, not motorists that stop you.

- The Marlborough Express

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