Tina Slagel: Rude, dangerous drivers make Modesto unfriendly to bikes

I was riding my bike. Obeying the laws. I stopped at a signal light in downtown Modesto. The light turned green and I started crossing the intersection (in the crosswalk, mind you). I was keeping a close eye on the driver of the car who was also in the intersection. Apparently, he decided to turn (without using his turn signal) right into the crosswalk I was in. I started yelling at him to get him to notice me. He did not even look my way (and I’m practically right in front of him!) The drivers in the other cars watching this event started yelling at him. I finally ditched the bike and watched him run over my front tire. As he hit my tire, he actually turned his eyes to meet mine, and drove away.

Modesto, when are we going to start making this town more bike friendly? Why do we keep blaming the cyclists, telling them to get off the roads, be more visible, wear a helmet, ride in groups, don’t ride on busy streets? We should be getting the careless, terrible drivers off the roads. It’s time the city starts protecting cyclists instead of blaming them.

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 12:43 PM with the headline "Tina Slagel: Rude, dangerous drivers make Modesto unfriendly to bikes."