FTLComm - Tisdale - March 29, 2000

With the snow gone and the temperature rising the bicycles are out in force from one end of town to the other and riders of all ages, all but one or two of them, are headed right at your front bumper. Yesterday as I turned off of main street I had to come to a complete stop in the middle of the South bound lane as a teenage cyclist had dashed across the street and headed right for the middle of the front of my van. Just like the long hours of sunlight each year, we have to relearn the things that over winter have disappeared. In this case I had forgotten the trauma of having to dodge bicycle traffic always travelling on the wrong side of the road. This unusual phenomena is standard procedure in Tisdale. Its like the grass turning green or the concept that no yard will be complete without a zillion petunias, so it is that riding and driving on the right hand side of the road is ignored as Tisdale becomes an English village. The cars and trucks all have to drive on the left hand side of the street to avoid hitting bike riders streaming head long into traffic. This suicidal practice is so ingrained in the community's nature that bike riders will automatically swing to the left as soon as on coming traffic appears, they don't slow down or stop, no they just swing over to the left hand side of the street and head for the front of your car, truck , van or any other motorised vehicle. Its the Tisdale cyclist's death wish. I am not trying to be funny here, I am deadly serious because it is only a matter of time until some bike rider, young or old takes out somebody's grill and hood. The consequences will be disasterous to the bike rider but for now they are oblivious to the danger plunging forward assuming full well that riding on the left hand side of the street is the "right" thing to do.

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