USAToday: Cyclists, motorists clash on rights to road

[steven johnson]

The inalienable right of every American to drive 5 to 10 miles per hour over the speed limit is sacred. Mess with it at your peril.

Boulder County is home to tens of thousands of men and women just like Couch, who sometimes frustrate the locals just trying to get to work, county Sheriff Joe Pelle says.

Pelle, who must enforce traffic laws on two groups, is concerned about a new Colorado law requiring motorists to give riders a 3-foot berth when passing, and permitting side-by-side riding in many cases. He's particularly concerned about the county's mountain canyons, which are popular routes for riders.


In June, tensions between bicyclists and motorists flared when someone distributed flyers encouraging residents to celebrate "drivers' rights" by faking vehicle breakdowns in the route of a 100-mile bicycle ride set for July 25. Pelle warned anyone doing so would face fines, and he held meetings with communities along the race route.

Race organizers ultimately reported no problems.
Occasionally, "you meet a pack of jerks. They're just being obstinate or activist about their right to ride in the road. They slow down traffic and then they flip (drivers) off," Pelle said. "The sad thing is they're just hurting everybody."
Pelle says most people understand that bikes and motorists ought to share the roads, but he said some residents are "absolutely fed up to their ears" with bicyclists.



Cyclists, motorists clash on rights to road

[wtmusic]

1. You have a few extra characters in your link

Should be

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-08-03-insidebikes_N.htm