Make bicycling in Lawrence safer

Editor’s note: Today’s letters to the editor are from Southwest Junior High students learning about persuasive writing.

To the editor:

Do you know how many bicyclists there are in this city? I can answer that, there are a lot of bicyclists. But the drivers in Lawrence are not paying attention to bicyclists. The driver could be texting, talking on the phone or eating. Drivers can help by paying attention to bikers and giving them space.

Something you may not know is that bicycling is actually safer than riding in a car. It is safer if there is a separate bike path, the riders wear helmets, stay off busy streets and bikers follow the rules of the road. Most people ride their bikes to get more exercise, save money by not using gas, and to have a cleaner environment.

I think that the City of Lawrence should work together with citizens to make biking safer. The law is that you can ride your bike on every sidewalk in Lawrence, except downtown. My dad rides his bike to work because he does not want to waste money, and he wants exercise. I never know if he is safe, because he has already been hit once.

So the next time you get in the car, please watch out for the bikers, because it might be my dad.

Katie Davis,

Southwest Junior High