“I was one foot away from the guardrail with a 1000ft drop.”
Motorists in Colorado are by law required to give 3 feet of space when passing bicyclists on roadways and this dude who riding up on Lookout Mountain last week says several Denver Police Department motorcycle cops weren’t following the rules they are tasked with enforcing by coming way too close as he hugged the shoulder next to a massive drop. CBS4 spoke with Jim Pelkie about the incident that was caught on camera:
“Every time one of them went by me, I got angrier and angrier. If they had gone from 2-by-2 to single file as they passed me, it would have been plenty of room. I would have been happy with it. It would have been safe for everybody. A less experienced person may have panicked and swerved. But out there, there’s nowhere to swerve.”
Colorado Department of Transportation says motorists won’t be punished for breaking a common traffic rule to share the road with cyclists.
“Even three feet feels a little bit close. You’re allowed to actually move over to the middle of the road to pass cyclists and you will not be faulted for doing it. Going over the double yellow line to pass a bicyclist is actually allowed in Colorado.” –Sam Cole Traffic Safety Communications Manager for CDOT
Pelkie filed a complaint with DPD on Thursday, the day after the incident. Check out the footage and see what you think. Remember to be respectful of one another on the roadways. Colorado offers a 90-minute interactive Bicycle-Friendly Motorist taught by instructors to educate motorists (including CDOT maintenance personnel, as well as, other state and local government employees) on proper safety protocol. ENROLL HERE: