I averaged 17 mph on Friday’s 42-mile road ride, but as I got close to home the 0.7-mile section of Paradise Drive between 7th Avenue and Stonebridge Road demanded something more. Outside of the city, Paradise Drive is a treat! Within city limits, I usually avoid it. Paradise is one of the least bike-friendly streets in West Bend: too many cars, too many traffic lights, too many conflict points. But for whatever reason, on Friday evening I took it on … and even had fun with it. The secret is speed. Or maybe that’s obvious and not a secret at all. Whatever. Get up to automobile speed and you’ll be fine. Looks like I even had a little burst above the 25 mph speed limit. Sorry, WBPD, got to go along to get along. I was hardly the fastest vehicle on the road; I was just fast enough not to be an impediment. Not one horn sounded. Not one middle finger extended. Not one driver shouted for me to get on the sidewalk … and woe to any pedestrians if I had. Bikes are vehicles. They belong on the streets. The more we share the road with cars in a safe and courteous manner, the more we normalize our presence and improve the relationship between riders and drivers.
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