The recent death of a pedestrian killed by a hit and run bicyclist highlights the need for all road users to follow the rules of the road.

Have you ever been riding along in a bike or travel lane and a car comes up from behind and right hooks you (making a right turn directly in front of you into your lane of travel)?  Have you ever been walking across an intersection and have a bicyclist fly by you against a red light?  Have you ever been driving in a car or riding a bike when a pedestrian starts to jaywalk in front of you while chatting on their cell phone? Have you ever…well, we could go on and on…everyone has a story of almost being hit. Unfortunately and tragically, crashes happen between motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians that cause injuries and fatalities because someone wasn't following a rule of the road.

It is the position of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia that all users of the road should obey traffic laws.  When people bend the rules to their personal benefit, whether they are a motorist, bicyclist or pedestrian, it contributes to chaos on the streets and everyone is endangered.  To that end, the Bicycle Coalition has an outreach and education program called Bicycle Ambassadors, which is designed to encourage adult bicyclists to ride more often and ride more safely, by teaching bike safety, sharing the road, bike lane and bike path etiquette and how to bike to work and school.

As the rules of the road adapt to new users, and the roadways themselves are reconfigured to meet the needs of more vulnerable road users, everyone needs to adapt to the rules of the road – after all, a bicycle is a legal vehicle in all 50 states and all vehicles have to abide by the same rules. 

We all know that parking enforcement works.  What is missing on our streets is traffic enforcement.  Regrettably, getting more traffic enforcement is not a priority of most elected officials or decision makers.  The position of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia on enforcement is that we welcome more consistent and visible enforcement of traffic laws.  We want enforcement to be applied equitably to all users: motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.  All three are a part of the current problem on the streets and each need to be part of the solution. 

Give Respect to Get Respect.