After reading Ray Routhier’s excellent and informative article (“Tension on the roads shifts into a higher gear,” Oct. 24) about changes to cycling laws and the challenges we all face on the roads, I headed out on my bicycle to the farmers market.

As I waited at a traffic light, I saw an adult bicyclist riding toward me against traffic in the vehicle lane. She then rode across an intersection crosswalk against the light, and continued riding up the sidewalk on the other side.

As a regular rider on Portland’s streets, I find myself frequently angered at the risky and inconsiderate actions of fellow cyclists, who apparently do not realize (or choose to ignore) they are violating the “rules of the road” that govern motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike.

By their disregard, they make the roads less safe for all of us, particularly by placing drivers in an uncertain situation (“Where’s that bicycle going?”) that can, as Routhier points out, make drivers less, not more, accepting of the crucial “share the road” ethic.

I urge all my fellow cyclists to observe traffic laws, and help create a safer travel environment for everyone.

Malcolm Burson

Portland

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