More bikes, more awareness
By Bob Glissmann - WORLD-HERALDIt's a two-way street.
Bicyclists need to follow the rules of the road. Drivers need to acknowledge cyclists' right to be on the road.
Usually, the two groups peacefully coexist. When they don't, most encounters end with a stern look, a few choice words or an extended middle finger, not physical violence.
The curb-side clash between Omahans Benjamin Brownlow, 24, and Edward L. Palmer, 56, ended with cyclist Brownlow getting slapped upside the head. That led, last week, to Palmer's guilty plea to a misdemeanor assault charge.
Tensions between cyclists and drivers aren't new or limited to Omaha's streets. As more cyclists hit the road for recreation or to commute to and from work, they're encountering drivers who may be leery of — or even hostile toward — the cyclists.
But biking advocates say that familiarity breeds comfort, not contempt; they say studies have found that the more bicyclists hit the streets, the more drivers adapt to their presence.
The League of American Bicyclists, quoting the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 American Community Survey, said 0.55 percent of Americans use a bicycle as the primary means of getting to work. That's up 36 percent from the first survey in 2005 and 43 percent since the 2000 Census.
This year's Bike Omaha Challenge, overseen by Activate Omaha, an exercise advocacy group, showed that 693 bike commuters in town logged more than 129,000 miles between mid-May and mid-August.
While far short of top rider Jerry Francis' 3,039 miles, Brownlow, who doesn't own a car, came in ninth in the challenge with 1,322 miles.
Brownlow says his run-in with Palmer occurred on Memorial Day when he was riding south on 50th Street between Dodge and Leavenworth Streets. Palmer was a front-seat passenger in a minivan that started honking at Brownlow from behind.
Brownlow said he gestured for the minivan to pass him, but Palmer started screaming obscenities from the van's passenger side and yelling that Brownlow didn't have a driver's license, didn't pay taxes and was supposed to be on the sidewalk, not the road.
Brownlow said he tried to tell Palmer that it's legal for him to ride on the street. Then Palmer's son pulled ahead of Brownlow and tried to cut him off, Brownlow said, but the cyclist was able to squeeze through. The second time, Brownlow said, the minivan blocked him in near Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
One witness told police it was clear to him that the van's driver was deliberately swerving toward Brownlow.
Brownlow said Palmer got out of the minivan and continued to scream obscenities at him.
“I was thinking that I still might be able to talk him down,” Brownlow said. “Explaining what the laws were didn't seem to help.”
After more yelling, he said, Palmer slapped him in the face. A witness told police that Palmer smacked Brownlow so hard she was shocked Brownlow was able to remain on his bike.
“It was kind of nice that I had my helmet on,” Brownlow said.
People who were tending their loved ones' graves in the cemetery yelled at Palmer that they were going to call the police and yelled to Brownlow to get Palmer's license-plate number. Palmer returned to the minivan, and the van left the area.
Palmer said last week that he entered the guilty plea only to spare his 19-year-old son, James R. Palmer, a reckless-driving conviction. He says Brownlow was riding erratically in front of the family minivan and repeatedly cursed at the vehicle's occupants and flipped them off when Palmer's son tried to pass the cyclist.
Palmer says he had his son stop the minivan so he could get out and confront Brownlow after Brownlow intentionally rammed his bike into the side of the vehicle. He says he told Brownlow to stop cursing, then stuck his finger in Brownlow's face. He told police he may have touched Brownlow's cheek.
After police investigated, misdemeanor warrants were issued in late August for Ed Palmer and James Palmer, and the two turned themselves in.
Ed Palmer was sentenced to 90 days' probation and assessed a $50 fine. The charges against James Palmer were dismissed.
Julie Harris of Activate Omaha said drivers have honked and cursed at her and flipped her off while she was out riding. She also has had drivers get as close to her as they can or speed up just as they pass.
“In all fairness, however, I also have to say that I have encountered many courteous and attentive drivers who have gone out of their way to be accommodating,” Harris said.
All drivers shouldn't be judged based on the poor behavior of a few, she said, and all cyclists shouldn't be considered law-flaunting daredevils based on the behavior of a few.
Brownlow, who commutes from near downtown to the west Omaha bike shop where he works, said both drivers and cyclists need to follow the rules of the road.
“There's a fair amount of people who are using a bike and not using it properly,” he said. <a href="http://www.omaha.com/article/20091113/NEWS01/711139887/0/FRONTPAGE">http://www.omaha.com/article/20091113/NEWS01/711139887/0/FRONTPAGE</a>;
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