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I agree with bikeaway's comments. As a dedicated Portland cyclist, my experience has been that there are a significant number of motorists who don't understand that bicycles have a right to the roadway. In addition to the crowding and near-misses that have already been addressed on-air, I've been honked at and yelled at by motorists while making legal left-turns or simply riding safely in a right-hand lane. Some folks yell "ride on the sidewalk" others simply accelerate and swerve around. Many, many people don't bother to change lanes to pass a cyclist, even on a major four-lane road such as Sandy. I see many more (even well-intentioned) motorists driving unsafely with respect to bikes than the other way around.

People have been talking about cyclists who seem to ride with a sense of "entitlement." As bikeaway pointed out, it's simply unsafe for a cyclist to ride too close to the curb, especially when there are parked cars along the side of the road. This isn't a display of arrogance, but a consideration of personal safety.

posted 5 years ago
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