A motorist mowed down a bicyclist pedaling in a bike lane in Hernando County and drove away in a Silverado pickup truck on US 19 on Sunday. Two months ago, a speeding motorist killed veterinarian Robert Niedbalec of Temple Terrace while he biked in a bike lane along Fletcher Avenue Feb. 13
Those killings sicken me.
Which is why when I bike I try and make eye contact or motion my arms for every motorist I can see or hear. I wave, give them a fist pump and flash a peace sign.
I want every motorist to see me as a human being -- not a lifeless figure on a bicycle.
If there's no traffic coming at me in an opposing lane, I wave motorists around me. If there traffic in the oncoming lane, I assume my traffic lane and then wave the motorist around me when the coast is clear.
Most motorists appreciate the hand signals and connections. Many motorists wave or offer a thumbs up.
We have a long way to go to get motorists to understand that a bicycle is a vehicle with a legal right to the road and that they're required to pass a bicyclist by a minimum berth of three feet.
But mutual courtesy goes a long way in staying safe on the roads of Tampa Bay.
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