To the editor:
I read with interest the recent letter to the editor headlined,"Police must crack down on dangerous drivers."
The writer cites an incident between a bicycle and a car which occurred at the corner of Community Road and Atlantic Avenue in Marblehead, which he blamed totally on the motorist. He blames the incident on 1.) the motorist must have been distracted or not paying attention and took a left turn without verifying there was no opposing traffic; 2.) the motorist may have made a decision that given the relative sizes of their vehicles, the bicyclist would stop if the motorist cut in front of him; or 3.) the motorist may have decided to "race" the bicycle to the spot where their paths would cross.
While fortunately the bicyclist was apparently not hurt badly, I would like to suggest that perhaps the bicyclist may have been somewhat at fault.
How fast was the bicyclist going when the collision occurred? How alert was the bicyclist to opposing traffic? Should the bicyclist have stopped when he saw the car? Perhaps the bicyclist used poor judgment and decided to "race" the car to the spot where their paths would cross.
There's a saying that when you are in a car, you don't mess with trucks, buses, and trains; they are bigger than you and will definitely come out the winner in a collision. I would suggest that it's not only trucks, buses, and trains that are bigger than a bicycle, but also cars.
I would ask that the writer go a few blocks down Atlantic Avenue to the traffic lights at Clifton Avenue where the view is definitely obstructed. I would ask that he stay there a while and watch the bicycles that run the red light heading towards Swampscott, passing cars stopped at the red light.
I would then ask him to backtrack a bit and watch the bicycles run the stop sign where Smith Street meets Atlantic Avenue.
Aren't bicycles supposed to follow traffic rules the same as cars? We've all seen many bicycles with the riders beautifully outfitted in brightly colored shorts and shirts and helmets and riding what appear to be very expensive bicycles, running red lights and running stop signs.
Perhaps the writer of the letter in fact is a safe operator and does obey traffic laws but most do not.
CARL SHALIT
Marblehead
