Re: “Biketober Returns for Another ‘Spokey’ Season” (GT Online, 10/4): I have been a bike commuter for the dozen plus years that I have lived and worked in Santa Cruz. I have always expressed what a bike friendly city this is, and I have felt grateful for the cars who recognize the rights of cyclists and watch out for their safety on our streets.
I am a defensive rider, who wears a bright-colored, reflective, safety vest and helmet. Lately I have noticed a rise in the number of drivers who are not looking out for bicycles. I have slowed or come to complete stops while drivers who didn’t even see me turned or proceeded right in front of me without even looking.
Still, twice this week I have been nearly hit by vehicles. I slammed on my brakes within inches of the drivers who hit the gas while I was fully into and nearly through intersections. These close calls have turned what should have been a celebration of biking this Biketober into a period of questioning whether it has become too dangerous.
I don’t know who needs to hear this: People that didn’t commute for a year while working at home during the pandemic and are driving to work again? Students who have come to attend UCSC from cities with fewer bicyclists? Whoever you are, please take the extra time to look both ways and check to see if a bicycle might be approaching.
Veronica Daley Zaleha
Santa Cruz
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