Letter to editor: cycling benefits all

News-Press Letter to Editor
June 21, 2011

I am a commuter cyclist. I am not riding my
bicycle to get a cup of coffee, train for an
athletic event, or to see the world on two
wheels. I am going to work, to buy my
groceries, to visit my friends.

And, by doing this, everyone benefits.
There is one more parking space open at t
he shopping center when I shop by bike,
there is one less car trying to make it
through the maddening congestion of our
roadways.

If supply and demand and their relation to
price is really true, when I buy less gasoline
there is a minuscule bit more supply and
perhaps someday that could influence the
price you pay.

Yes, sometimes I ride in the traffic lane
and, yes, I actually avoid side paths when I
can in favor of the roadway. I do this
because I have learned that most motorists
really don’t want to hurt me and, in order
for motorists to best see me, I need to be
where the other vehicles are traveling.

Yes, I have been threatened, yelled at and
swerved at, and I still wonder why. Please
be kind. When I cycle we all benefit.

CINDY BEAR
Bokeelia