Keller @ Large: Bicyclists And Drivers Need To Get Along

BOSTON (CBS) - Cars and bikes in Boston are an often contentious - and sometimes fatal - combination.

The death of a 38-year-old woman in the Back Bay last week was the city's 13th bicyclist fatality in the past five years.

And while bike lanes are one of several steps being taken to make biking here safer, regular riders say it's still a jungle out there.

They tend to blame reckless or oblivious motorists.

But bikers aren't always blameless.

As the American Automobile Association notes in an online video promoting bike and motorist safety, "remember that respect is a two-way street."

With bike use exploding on local roads, the need for peaceful co-existence is taking on extra urgency.

"We can't fix everything just by talking about behavior," notes Pete Stidman, former head of the Boston Cyclists Union, who points out that cyclist casualties in Boston have been static even as their numbers have grown, a tribute to better road design and more off-road or protected bike paths.

And there's safety in numbers, observes Roslindale cyclist Cynthia Zabin: "What makes cycling more safe is having more cyclists."

Another encouraging sign: with a new generation likely to be even more bike-oriented, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh – following the example of his bike-friendly predecessor - says it's time for a truce in the road wars.

"I know bikers that blame the cars and I know people who drive the cars that blame the bikers," says Walsh. "We need to get along."

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