Drivetime Mahatma

Bike ahead in Conway: Pass at all?

Sir: In Conway there are many streets that are two lanes, no shoulders, and striped as no passing. That is, double yellow. Some of these streets are posted as "bicycle friendly." To be clear, if I come up behind a bicycle on one of these streets, moving at about 5 mph, it would be unlawful for me to move over to pass? By the way, is the 3-foot rule a law or a suggestion? -- Frustrated in Conway

Dear Conway: Second things first. Arkansas Code Annotated 27-51-311, "Overtaking a bicycle," is not a suggestion. It is, as indicated in the previous sentence, an actual law, passed by the General Assembly and everything. We quote:

"The driver of a motor vehicle overtaking a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a roadway shall exercise due care and pass to the left at a safe distance of not less than three feet and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken bicycle."

First things second. It would be unlawful to pass on a double yellow. We have previously persisted on this, and law enforcement insists that an illegal pass is an illegal pass. Would that result in a ticket? Depends on if a policeman saw the illegal pass and acted on it.

Another question: Would a bicyclist prefer a motorist to swing around 3 feet and cross that double yellow line, or follow slowly behind for umpteen miles? We invite bicyclists to respond.

Dear Mahatma: Little Rock drivers don't often stop for people in crosswalks. I recently saw two children in a crosswalk at Kavanaugh Boulevard and L Street. They were stopped as drivers ignored them and sped across this "protected walk." I know there's a law giving pedestrians the right of way in a crosswalk. It seems like our city engineers are more concerned about moving traffic than protecting pedestrians. What do you suggest? -- Sincerely Bill

Dear Sincerely: The Mahatma, a dedicated downtown pedestrian, has a rule of thumb. Here it is: He's wrong; we're dead.

We look both ways, twice, when walking through an intersection because getting run over results in a ticket, arrest, incarceration, and/or lawsuit against the driver. On the other hand, the pedestrian is off to that great Crosswalk in the Sky. This is not a fair trade.

So we suggest caution, wisdom, skepticism, good reflexes and snappy mobility.

Having said that, we discussed the matter with the city's chief of traffic engineering, Bill Henry. All the engineers can do is mark and sign intersections in accordance with the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

After that, the problem becomes one of enforcement. Call the city's all-purpose services number, 311, or the Police Department's traffic division at (501) 918-5100.

Vanity plate seen in Little Rock: TOP WOP. Didn't this used to be an insult or pejorative? Is this an interesting time to be alive, or what?

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Metro on 02/06/2016

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