Verdi CAB Meeting
Motorists live in a world with very well defined rules. Two motorists can confidently approach each other with a closing speed of 150 mph and think nothing of missing each other by only a couple of feet. When a motorist encounters a pack of testosterone charged bicyclists with no regard for the rules of the road, he is confused. Confusion leads to fear, fear leads to anger.
The Verdi Citizen Advisory Board had bicyclists on their minds on Sept 4th. They admit that not all bicyclists behave badly but enough do to anger Verdi residents. The CAB’s complaints boil down to two issues: 1) bicyclists don’t follow the rules of the road and 2) they are rude and inconsiderate.
Follow the rules: Bicyclists blow through stop signs, especially as the bottom of Silva Ranch Road, impede motorists by riding more than two abreast and fail to yield in the new roundabout.
Rude behavior: Bicyclists shout obscenities and flip “the bird” at motorists who honk at them when they fail to follow the rules of the road. They purposely impede motorists and then shout “Share the Road” when the motorist is finally allowed to pass.
The Chairman of the CAB offered this example: He was driving his children to work and had to slam on the brakes to avoid a bicyclist that blew through a stop sign. When he honked his horn, the bicyclist made a rude gesture and rode on. The Chairman then had to explain to his children what had just happened, a task he found uncomfortable and difficult.
The CAB was especially critical of riders who race through their neighborhood on Saturday morning with no regard for motorists, the rules of the rode, residents and, apparently, their own safety. I think I know this group. The hammerheads in front are bent on punishing the followers. The followers risk life and limb to keep from being dropped. The result looks and feels just like a continuous sprint from the inside. From the outside it looks like mob chaos. To the motorist that encounters them, it’s quite scary.
Bicycle racers need to remember that the Nevada traffic laws are not suspended when they train on public roads and that they are guests in Verdi. Testosterone is no excuse for rude behavior.