Keep bicycles off the roads?

Dear editor:

I am not sure why bicyclists have a right to be on the road.

Their erratic behavior -- weaving from side to side, riding first on the sidewalk and then on the street, cutting through parking lots, riding between vehicles, failing to stop at red lights or stop signs -- makes them hazardous to be on the road with.

You never know when one will pop out from a parking lot into the roadway, weave when you are trying to pass and scrape your vehicle, or ride up between you and another vehicle at a light.

Regarding kindness and understanding, imagine the frustration of a conscientious motorist attempting for blocks to safely get around a bicyclist without endangering either the motorist or the bicyclist, only to have them change from a "vehicle" to a "pedestrian" at the red light, ride up on the sidewalk and through the light, when the motorist must wait until the light changes and then, once more, attempt to safely get around the bicyclist again!

Heaven forbid that a motorist is ever involved in an accident with a bicyclist. It is the only accident where the driver with insurance, license and registration is the one in the most trouble!

Maybe if bicyclists want kindness and consideration on the road, they should try obeying all the traffic laws a motorist must obey. And to be on the roadways, maybe they should be required to carry insurance, registration and license just like motorists are. After all, that is part of the fee for using public roadways for improvements and maintenance.

So, that is why I am not sure if bicyclists have a right to be on the road.

-- Sharon Wilson