La Crosse hoping to help drivers and bicyclists get along

The city of La Crosse this week spent time gathering feedback from residents about getting around without a car. The city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee held a series of meetings to get input from drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. That feedback will be used to update the city’s comprehensive plan. It is good that the city is working on a plan, because it seems that currently those in cars and those not in cars aren’t very good at sharing the road. I know many drivers who get upset when there are bicyclists in front of them, as if they didn’t have a right to also be using the road. But I also see too many bicyclists not doing a good job of staying in their lane. The city has installed bike lanes on many roads, but some cyclists choose to ride right down the middle of the street, often not in a single file. If we’re going to sharing the roads, we need to be considerate of others. Bicyclists should ride single file and stay in their lane, or at least as close to the curb as possible. And drivers need to be respectful of those cyclists and realize they too have a right to use the road. We all have a right to drive or ride on our roads, and we need to be considerate of others who are doing the same.