Be cautious on bikes

By Annette Herrick

Thank you, David Goldberg, for bringing the readers' attention to the fact that drivers and bicyclists alike are entitled by law to share the road. It is obvious you are passionate about this subject.

Believe it or not, I am glad your letter to the editor was published on May 17. I felt a sense of satisfaction upon learning of this. The more people speak out, the more people will hear. We all need to learn from the horrible collision between bicycle and car that left Gypsie Goss with multiple fractures to her pelvis.

When I wrote the article, printed May 10, I was fulfilling my main priority to the West Seattle Herald as a fitness columnist. In this column, I give readers my opinion about their health and fitness issues. My target audience on that day was people who ride their bikes. I was not writing to drivers.

I recently read the Seattle Times version or the accident written by a staff reporter, printed May 17. They reported everything Ms. Goss told me and did a good job reporting the whole story. In my capacity as a fitness columnist I did my job, too, by giving readers my opinion. That is the job of a columnist.

Act like you are invisible, wear bright clothes and flashing lights, all this because you are the one who will pay the price if you are involved in a collision with a motor vehicle. Look before you cross an intersection, busy or not.

You are right, everyone needs to be considerate on the road, car drivers and bikers alike. How many bicyclists have you seen carelessly maneuvering through traffic? About a month ago I was driving north on First Avenue downtown when an approaching bicyclist was weaving in and out of cars on both northbound and southbound lanes. He was obviously enjoying himself by the look on his face.

I was stunned. Had he not heard the news that this wonderful person had been hit while in the presence of her husband and son? He was putting himself in jeopardy and any driver unfortunate enough to be in his way, and making a bad reputation for cyclists. He, however, was not as cautious as I know Gypsie to be. But he is the person I am writing to.

News of Gypsie's accident left me shaken and sad. I have trusted her along with her husband, Aaron, with my bikes for the six years I have lived in West Seattle.

Aaron has practically turned my newest used bike into a brand new one and Gypsie has been there to patiently answer my questions about gears, derailers and bike wrenches.

After speaking with Gypsie about her accident, I know that I have become a much better, more cautious driver as well as a cautious bicyclist. I hope we can all use her terrible experience to remind us that cars and bikes alike need to be respectful of each other.

Annette Herrick can be reached at annette@fitnessforvitality.com