Bill would educate drivers, walkers too

As a daily bicycle commuter and past president of the BIKES Club of Snohomish County, I agree with the Tuesday letter stating that people need to be educated about safe riding techniques and follow the rules of the road (“Time for bikers to be licensed.”) That is why the Bicycle Alliance of Washington supports a Mobility Education Bill (HB 1588) that would include instruction on safe biking and walking as part of “drivers” education courses in Washington state.

If we had such a class, the letter writer would know that it is legal under state law for cyclists to ride two abreast. The fact that passing vehicles may then have to move out of the right lane only means cars are more likely to pass with care, as they should. Mobility education would help cyclists and drivers respect each others’ rights and responsibilities. I am always dismayed when I see cyclists run stops signs or ride in the wrong direction on a roadway. But I am more worried about vehicles that run red lights or turn right in front of cyclists. It is the car driver who is operating a lethal weapon, after all.

Information on safe and legal cycling is part of the current Drivers Education manual in Washington, and questions on cycling are part of the written test on a rotating basis. Active teaching of this information is the goal of the Mobility Education Bill, and the logical and obviously needed next step.

Kristin Kinnamon

Marysville