To the editor:

I was at 14th and Kentucky when a rider crossed my path without looking. The rider had the red hand showing her she should not cross the intersection. She should be very thankful I was watching her and not on my phone.

Those type of meetings with bicyclists continue just about every time I go into Lawrence. My meetings occur all over the city of Lawrence and Douglas County. As I told the city police chief, most of my encounters in the city are with young drivers and encounters in the country are with expensive bikes with older but still irresponsible drivers. They are drivers, not riders! Passengers are riders; the person in control of the vehicle is the driver.

The law classifies a bike as a vehicle, but the vehicle driver is not held responsible to follow the vehicle laws.