Rural / Urban Split on Bicycles and Road Use

On last week's show Ken Sherman and I discussed what we believed to be a rural / urban split with regard to bicycle use on rural roads.  Rural Road Rage?  At the time we thought it was a correct assessment following the recent bicycle accident on a rural highway near Winterset, Iowa.  The incident took place on April 11 when Doug Smith, who was riding along with a small group of avid cyclists, was struck by farmer John Lynch, who was pulling anhydrous tanks behind his pickup.

Smith is still recovering in a Des Moines hospital and Lynch is trying to put his life back together.  Here is the latest in the story from Marc Hansen of the Des Moines Register.

Accounts of the incident vary with the cyclists saying Lynch "laid on his horn" rather than wait and pass safely.  The farmers and rural folks supporting Lynch say the cyclists are using this incident for political gain and that John Lynch is a careful driver.

What is clear from the comments on the Des Moines Registerwebsite and from those who called our show on Sunday or sent in Twitter comments to @RuralLifeRadio this is turning into exactly what we thought, a Rural / Urban issue.  The vast majority of cyclists are from the city and many rural folks have risen up saying bicycles have no place on any highway and they were created for the transportation of good and services not, "...bicycles, skateboards and little red wagons."

Don't look for this to go away.  The cyclists are well organized having seen 500 of them rally at the Iowa State Capital last week.  And the farmers...they too are well organized with supporters such as the Iowa / Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association and League of Iowa Countiesopposing increased safety measures in the recently defeated Bike Safety Bill (SF 117) that was buried in a House Committee.

We'll continue to follow this story and take your comments from your state or point of view.  Highway 6 - Your Road to the Country is heard each Sunday morning at 8AM Central on 98.3 WOW-FM (983wowfm) in Central Iowa or anywhere in the world by using your computer to Listen Live.  Follow us during the week on Twitter @RuralLifeRadio.

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Comments

[Miragi]

It's fairly naive to assume that all cyclists come only from urban areas, just as it's naive to assume that all farmers or rural dwellers drive safely.

If bicycles weren't an acceptable form of transportation, there would not be established licensing, helmet and safety laws specifically for bicycles.

All this 'sided' bickering occurs because individuals won't step up and take responsibility for their own actions. No matter which party was at fault, at least one party screwed up, otherwise someone would not be in the hospital, still recovering.

For the record-I dwell on the rural "side" of the street, and grew up on a farm.

[Michael Libbie]

Maragi: Thanks for your comment. Note we said "the majority" of cyclists...not "all". You are correct in the matter of responsibility. Here in Iowa the legislature turned back efforts to secure safety for cyclists. That, we feel, was ducking the responsibility no matter who is at fault in this incident. Thanks again for writing and for reading! - Michael