As spring warms into summer bicyclists and runners should keep this in mind: The roadways are designed primarily for motor vehicles.
That having been said, drivers have an obligation to be especially cautious and courteous when encountering bicycle riders and runners on the shoulders of city streets and surrounding highways. After all, drivers are in control of a powerful piece of machinery that -- in a collision -- is no match for a pedestrian or a rider of a bicycle. Motorists, therefore, have a special responsibility to be aware of others using the roadways.
Problems develop when users of the public highways assume their rights supercede others.
Some cyclists and runners seem to believe they've been granted a special dispensation to be stupid and careless. With altogether holier-than-thou arrogance, they seem to assume that their "right" to use the roads does not include adhering to the rules of the road. This phenomenon is especially evident in city traffic, where cyclists weave and slip in and out of traffic lanes, oblivious to stop signs, stop lights and pedestrian crosswalks.
And there is something positively frightening about parents dragging kids in designer carts behind a bicycle on a busy, high-speed road, such as Highway 17 between Horace and West Fargo, or Cass County 20 in far north Fargo.
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For their part, some drivers are so irresponsible (or thick-skulled) that they don't accept their obligation to be sensitive to those who use roadway shoulders for bicycling, running or walking.
It's true there are not enough miles of bike paths to accommodate growing demand. But that reality does not excuse cyclists, runners -- and especially motorists -- from obeying traffic laws and exercising special care when using public roadways. In most cases, it's a matter of common sense and common courtesy.
To cyclists, runners and motorists: Pay attention this summer. Don't be responsible for a tragedy.
Forum editorials represent the opinion of Forum management and the newspaper's Editorial Board
