Share The Road...Share The Rules

This morning while I was out walking the dog, I watched a pick up truck and a cyclist approach the intersection.  The truck came to a complete stop then proceeded through the intersection.  The cyclist stopped peddling as she looked both ways and continued on through without even slowing down.

For years, we have heard how drivers must "share the road".  I do not disagree, but I think that cyclists need the "share the rules".  If you are riding on the road, you are a vehicle and the same rules apply.

When I was a kid, each summer you needed to go and renew your bike license. Under the watchful eye of a couple of police officers, we rode the obstacle course, demonstrated our hand signals, and even learned some basic bicycle maintenance.

At the end of the day, one of the officers attached your yellow license plate to the back of your bike. Did we follow all the rules once we left, of course not.  But I was riding my bike on streets where cars were few and far between.

I grew up in a subdivision of a small town.  So while riding around our neighbourhood, maybe we could be a little lax about rules.  On the other hand, on any given day, here in the big city, there are likely more cars on one street than we had in our whole town.