-
Cyclist Matt Phippen hopes RAGBRAI will remind drivers to share the road.
As RAGBRAI approaches and Vinton residents continue to make plans to welcome the riders, one Vinton cyclist hopes that seeing thousands of bikes on the road will help raise awareness of bicycle safety on a daily basis.
Matt Phippen is a long-time RAGBRAI rider; this year he is among the leaders of the annual event.
Phippen is the sales leader at Scheel’s in Coralville
“Last year we became the official sporting goods store of RAGBRAI,” he said. “That took some work. The Director of RAGBRAI and I have become good friends.”
One of Phippen’s roles is to serve on the pre-ride team.
“This is a small group that will ride the entire route in June and meet with every community the ride passes through in July. We will discuss the town’s plans for their big day and give them advice. They feed us the same food they will be serving in July. We look at roads and any other issue riders may run into during the ride. We want to make sure that communities are ready for the ride to roll through. It has been an awesome experience each year we do the pre-ride. “
Phippen is also the Ride Right Chair for Coralville, working with that community and its leaders to make sure everyone is safe and the roads are ready for the riders.
While the RAGBRAI event has historically been a very safe ride, Phippen said he has seen many examples of drivers who seem to deliberately ignore safety rules and seem unwilling to share the road.
“I have l lived in this community for over 10 year and I have found we are not a bike friendly community,” said Phippen, who recently videotaped a pick-up truck “buzzing” him as he road along a blacktop road in the area (see below). He showed this video to authorities, who cited the driver for unsafe passing (over double yellow lines).
“There have been multiple times while riding in Benton County that I have been brushed by vehicles, forced to leave the highway, had things yelled at me and have occasionally received the middle finger,” he said. “I know that there are people that don’t like the fact that there will be cyclists on their road. What they don't understand is that I own just as much of that highway as they do. I always ride with safety in mind. I never put myself, the group I ride with or other vehicles in danger. I have no problem with vehicles passing me on the highway. What I do have a problem with is drivers doing a little extra as you can see in this video. If the driver in the white truck would have just passed it would not have been an issue, but to step on the gas and send a cloud of black smoke my way is unacceptable.”
That video was posted to YouTube on Sunday and already has more than 1,000 views.
“This is a fact of life for cyclists. There are always going to be people in this world that don't want to share the road. As the Ride Right Chair for Coralville and the person helping lead Vinton when RAGBRAI comes through, I feel I just can sit here and be alright with this happening. We need to lead the change,” he said.
[VIDEO]
Comments
Submit a CommentPlease refresh the page to leave Comment.
Still seeing this message? Press Ctrl + F5 to do a "Hard Refresh".
Later
Dave
People riding bicycles may use the full lane and other users must use the opposite lane to pass. It is in the Iowa Code and drivers manual. Pass a bike like a car, change lanes to pass.
There is no obligation to yield to passing traffic. But there is an obligation for the passing motorist to pass safely.
Finally, the Iowa Code defines traffic as much more than autos. This idea that cars are the sole users of the roadway is not true. Hearded animals, pedestrians, vehicles, and other conveyances make up the definition of traffic.
The fact of the matter is that Iowa is a beautiful place and as such has a diverse amount of ‘vehicles’ traveling its’ highways and byways – they all deserve respect and patience. Cars, Trucks and Semis and other vehicles should respect bicyclists – give them the room and pass just as you would if it was a car, truck, tractor or horse and buggy on the road – cyclists should move into a single line if the see someone or something else approaching in their rear view mirrors. And both parties must give each other the room, safety and respect they deserve.
I must say I have been on the receiving end of such treatment experienced in the preceding video, I have been run off the road into a steep ditch with no oncoming traffic and wide open road, of course no one stopped to see if I was ok; I have had my elbow clipped, honked at been given the finger, trash throw out the window at me – there are and will always be bad apples out there – why is it necessary to paint them all with the same brush – why can we not respect each other – why does it have to be and us versus them or these are MY roads not yours. I remind those drivers that are tempted to do some of these things – when you hit and either injure or kill a cyclist – will you be able to look in their wife, children, parents eyes with a clear conscience and give the above (or below) comments as justification for your action. Accidents do happen but there are a lot of things that people can do to respect one another and avoid them at all costs! For starters MUTUAL RESPECT! Something that society has lost in many aspects of life.
Yes, most people who ride bicycles have licenses, most own cars, and most have personal insurance. Most are part of a family with sons and daughters, friends and coworkers. I think it is ridiculous to paint bicyclists as different than any other person traveling the roadways.
While trails are great, the local trails near Vinton are due for an upgrade. Portions of the Cedar Valley are difficult to pass depending on the weather. They also do not lead to the same destinations that a person riding a bicycle may need to travel.
Asking a bicyclist to stay on a trail is akin to asking a motorist to only drive on the Interstate and walk the remainder.
Finally, bicycling is statistically safe. Ladders may produce more fatalities than bicycling. Yet, people still try to play a very violent and antisocial game with bicyclists on the road. We should be helping each other and making it safe for one-another. Any traffic fatality is too many in this state.