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Dear Editor,

Bicycling in Central Connecticut is not for the faint of heart. I personally can attest to that.

Advertising [as called for in a letter submitted by Sherman Schlar] is absolutely essential, though it needs to be on radios, TV, and social media (or where it can be seen by those who don’t know the info).

The town could do bike safety classes to help people understand how to increase their safety on the roads. I try to think of other peoples’ perspectives, and I believe most drivers have no idea how unsafe it is for pedestrians/bicyclists when they drive close to them. Their experience is within the car, which, for most, feels safe, and rudimentary. They optimize potential outcomes, not realizing that both the car and other party could veer closer to each other, upon passing, and a collision could occur with a potential fatality.

On the roads, I think an effective method is to post road signs in every town including the following: give bicycles 4 feet when passing (some towns have 3 feet, but 4 feet is better, and more effectively influences a driver to give a wider berth). Not just in one spot, but on the roads entering a specific town.

Another challenge I’ve encountered is that in areas with only a 4-lane undivided road, with cars driving at high rates of speed, bicyclists legally can take an entire lane (otherwise, cars will pass you at 50 miles an hour, 1-2 feet away from you, or closer). A small percentage of drivers will yell and honk furiously. Signs should be included that a bicyclist can take 1 of the 2 lanes. Local bicyclists could help by organizing group rides through areas of more traffic, to help give cars more familiarity to bicyclists. (The areas that have more bicyclists, tend to have much more drivers who drive more safely.)

People should be discouraged from riding bikes on sidewalks (as you won’t be seen by a driver, and have very little time to get out of a car’s way). To help influence changes in behavior, temporarily installing the big digital signs with safety instructions throughout each town, would be a big help.

Hopefully, any efforts to help improve safety conditions can be collaborative and limit divisiveness. Being angry at a driver doesn’t educate or teach them anything (I tend to never engage with a dangerous driver, primarily because it’s not effective). I’d recommend recording license plate numbers, and contacting the authorities. Initially, the authorities might not be receptive, so, it may take several efforts, and potentially meeting with a higher level member, who can pass the information to the appropriate parties. Remember, the authorities constantly deal with upset people with unreasonable demands, so it can take some attempts to break through the automatic defensiveness.

Henry Suski
West Hartford