Dos and Don’ts for cars, cyclists and walkers.

Last week The Leader received a letter to the editor from a concerned resident about safety path etiquette.

The letter from Laurie Chisholm of Oxford Township, read in part, “I would like to bring this to the attention of everyone who uses the many bike/walking paths and trails in our area. I witnessed a situation two weeks ago which thankfully did not result in death or injury but easily could have. A man riding his bike crossed Drahner Road near Chirco Drive on the bike path at approx 5:30 p.m., on a weekday, completely ignoring the stop sign posted on the trail before the road and the crossing signal. Not only did he not stop, slow down or even look to see if any traffic was approaching, he was also wearing headphones.”

The safety path mentioned is part of the Polly Ann Trail system which runs from Orion, through Oxford Township, Oxford Village, Addison Township and Leonard Village.

We shared the letter with Oxford Village Police Chief Mike Solwold to find out his thoughts on the do’s and don’ts when using these paths, as the path cuts across E. Burdick St., in the village about a mile from where the letter writer witnessed her incident.

“First, everybody has responsibilities,” he said. “Cyclists, pedestrians and auto drivers. Some people think pedestrians always have the right of way. That’s not always the case. If they are in the road before a car approaches, yes. But, when a car is traveling 25 to 40 miles an hour and you throw yourself out in front, no. Don’t do that.”

He then told the following story.

“I was parked on E. Burdick, facing the path. This bicyclist was heading north on the path. Before he gets to Burdick, while still on his bike and rolling he slaps the button (to activate the flashing alert lights) and keeps on going without even looking at traffic. I pulled him over and told him he couldn’t do that.”

According to Solwold, “You can’t just slap the button and throw yourself out in the middle of the road. There are no red lights for cars to stop. It’s a caution for auto drivers. Just like we teach our kids: Stop at the crossing. Look both ways before throwing yourself out in the road. Make sure it’s clear.”

— Don Rush