AJC.com: Bikers becoming targets - Aggressive drivers illegally harassing metro biking community

The Atlanta metro area’s increased traffic congestion has spawned ever escalating levels of road rage. Cyclists have especially felt the brunt of this through increased attacks by automobile drivers trying to scare us off the roads. Many are probably unaware of the Georgia laws that grant cyclists the rights to use the roads.

And contrary to many drivers’ beliefs, it is against the law for cyclists to ride on sidewalks. Others perhaps just feel that anything that impedes their progress is somehow fair game for challenging. Regardless, it is hard to understand why automobile drivers think that they have the right to aggressively confront cyclists as they do.

Let’s address common civility. Even if a driver believes that a cyclist doesn’t belong on the road, wouldn’t the civil thing be to at least attempt to politely talk with the cyclist? When someone is impeding your progress down a grocery store aisle, wouldn’t you most likely say excuse me to get by? Or would you rudely run your shopping cart at them at high speeds attempting to just barely miss them, hurl a half-full can of soda directly at them, or scream obscenities in their ears as you pass by? Of course you wouldn’t, but these very things happen to cyclists quite frequently.

What really concerns me is the dangers of such aggressive behavior. Drivers who are apparently unhappy with cyclist’s presence often use the tactic of “buzzing” them by driving as close as they can to them at unnecessarily high speeds. This is a perverse attempt to teach the cyclist some sort of self-righteous lesson.

There are rules addressing how much distance drivers must allow to safely pass cyclists, but that seems to be of little consequence to them. This dangerous act is often accompanied by high-decibel horn blowing or the use of abusive profanity to further harass the cyclists.

In addition, many cyclists can recount at least one incident in which, unprovoked, someone has intentionally pelted them with an object thrown out a car window. How can drivers justify endangering the cyclist’s life to communicate their belief that we don’t belong there? When an automobile is used to threaten a cyclist by coming too close, it is in effect being used as a lethal weapon. The laws are clear on this; such use of an automobile is a criminal act ranging from aggressive driving up to and including murder.

So what is law enforcement’s position in all of this? Not only are there an increasing number of campaigns to specifically target cyclists who break traffic laws, but some localities are even passing legislation that further restricts cyclists’ use of the road. This is not being done because cyclists are posing a greater danger to society but rather because many are unhappy about cyclists’ presence. Such campaigns wouldn’t seem so unreasonable if cyclists were the only ones breaking the laws, but clearly traffic violations by automobile drivers are epidemic.

And when automobiles speed or run stop signs or lights, that does indeed pose a great danger to society.

In no way am I trying to justify or condone cyclists violating traffic laws, but doesn’t it make more sense for law enforcement to go after the bigger fish like automobile drivers that truly endanger lives?

We need campaigns to inform all drivers of cyclists’ rights to the road as stipulated in Georgia law. The police should be more proactive in pursuing these aggressive drivers and we need citizens to get involved who witness such aggressive acts. Finally, those who truly believe that cyclists have no business on the roads should use the legal system to change the laws instead of using illegal and dangerous methods to intimidate cyclists. These are peoples’ lives being played with, not some sort of harmless game.

• Scott R. Miller lives in Roswell.