Among them were cyclists and non-cyclists alike, including the Department of Public Safety, the Marianas Visitor Authority, mothers, doctors, and others interested in making the roads safer.
The meeting discussed the need for driver and cyclist awareness and increasing cycling opportunities.
The group’s objective is to help DPS and MVA increase cycling safety and opportunities through greater driver education and rules of the road enforcement.
The desired outcomes are reduced vehicle caused bicycle injuries and fatalities and increased riding opportunities.
The group’s mission is described as a one for all and all for one: All for the one cause of greater cycling safety and opportunities for all that should be able to safely ride their bikes anywhere. All for one is also seen in the variety of participation and comments to improve road safety.
A few of those comments were:
• A tourist island of this climate, size, history, geography, and limited public transportation should promote safe cycling as a means of transportation and recreation everywhere and provide safer ways to enable that.
• It is expected that thousands of Saipan residents that don’t cycle would for commuting to work and school, shopping, visiting friends, not having to drive their children everywhere, and saving gas and car maintenance if it was safer to do so.
• Paved off road bike paths shared by cyclist and walkers create more hazards than they prevent. The solution is to make roads safer, not get bikes off them, and to focus limited resources on wider road shoulders and a public safety campaign aimed at driver awareness and enforcement.
• Driver education needs to be the primary focus because there are already cycle safety programs for schools, and if drivers don’t know how to share the road with cyclists it won’t much matter how safely cyclists ride. It’s the ill-informed and inconsiderate drivers that create the serious danger and that need to learn how to avoid accidents with cyclist and the penalties of careless driving. Although most drivers understand and obey the rules of the road and share it with cyclist, too many still don’t, and it doesn’t take many that don’t to make a very dangerous cycling environment like we have in Saipan. Needed with driver education are new bicycle safety rules of the road that drivers can understand and be accountable to and that law enforcement can enforce.
One attendee summarized this by saying “it’s the drivers responsibility to avoid hitting a cyclist and to understand that cyclists most often do not see or hear vehicles coming up behind them. Drivers must always pass cyclist with at least three feet of space and be prepared for a cyclist at any time to swerve to the left to avoid a hazard like a pothole, glass, or dog. Whenever possible, drivers should try to give cyclist a full lane when passing and to wait if that’s not possible. Also, a slight toot on the horn long before a driver reaches a cyclist can help, but blowing horns when passing a cyclist is more likely to cause an accident.”
A related quote was also read: “cyclists are recognized as having the right to use the roads in every country of the world and every state of the U.S. Motorist that run cyclists off the road are engaged in criminal assault. A motorist who assaulted Lance Armstrong received ten years in jail…,” The same quote added that “many cyclists feel they have rights without responsibilities and as a result ignore traffic laws.”
This means that roads need to be shared equally by drivers and cyclists, the rules of the road apply to both, and cyclist cannot expect drivers to treat them equally unless they equally obey all traffic laws.
While drivers are required to watch out for cyclists, cyclists need to understand that too often drivers don’t see bikes. And while a lack of driver awareness and education is the main problem, how cyclists ride impacts how motorist think of them and drive near them. Cyclists need to set an example to drivers that they too share the road by making complete stops at red lights and stop signs, using hand signals, wearing bright colors and helmets, riding with traffic, using lights when dark, and obeying all other traffic rules.
Along with sharing safer roads, another goal is increased biking opportunities. MVA shared its support in trying to develop Saipan as the Pacific place to bike, whether its commuters going to work and school or tourist renting bikes instead of cars or bringing their own bikes to Saipan as many do during cycle related events that Saipan sponsors each year. It was also mentioned how the expanded east side road will include a four foot shoulder and “Share The Road” signs and how more trails past historical sites could increase cycling safety and opportunities, promote Saipan as a place to vacation and bike, and help eco-tourism and Saipan’s whole economic picture. This creates another all for one and one for all win/win situation for all Saipan.
The group thanked DPS and all that increased cycle safety awareness that’s helped make cycling safer than it was, but stressed that more needs doing that requires unity of effort and CNMI government support. DPS said that as much as they would like to do more to make the roads safer for cyclists and others, there is little they can do until there’s united public support for specifically expressed initiatives. They said improvements need to come from community groups that can voice their needs that can help DPS request grants and other funding to support those needs.
The next cycling safety meeting will be held at 8-8:30am on Sunday, July 18, at the Last Command Post to determine what’s next and who can do what. Donations of $5 will help the start up of cycle safety pamphlets and flyers.
To comment on how to improve cycle safety and information on how to get involved, e-mail [email protected].
