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For motorcyclists the return of warm weather conjures up thoughts of carefree afternoons back on our bikes, enjoying our favorite roads.
But Pennsylvania serves up a particularly potent brew of hazards: Our winter freeze/thaw cycle provides the ideal climate for growing spring potholes. Our scenic bridges sport steel expansion joints that wreak havoc with inexperienced riders. And thanks to a perpetually strained highway budget, we spend our summers dodging tar snakes and rerouting our trips to avoid roads resurfaced on the cheap with tar and chip.
One challenge facing riders nationwide is the distracted or oblivious car driver, and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has published a 10-point list -- released in conjunction with May's Motorcycle Awareness Month -- designed to help four-wheel drivers learn to better share the road with those of us on two wheels.
In a press release dated May 9 the MSF released a list, "Ten Things All Car, Truck and Bus Drivers Should Know About Motorcycles," advising drivers that motorcycles can be lost in a car's blind spot, and reminding them that bikes may use their entire lane to maneuver or avoid obstacles. The press release also suggested that drivers visit the Web site www.forcardrivers.com for more tips on how to safely interact with bikes.
Welcome to Pittsburgh Rides, our regular feature on motorcycling. Here we bring you the latest in rides, trends and events, but we need your input. We're looking for voices from the local biking community willing to share (in roughly 500 words) your experiences on the road and what you think is hot on wheels.
Send your story or pitch to Weekend editor Scott Mervis at smervis@post-gazette.com.
What do you ride? Where do you like to ride or hang out? What are your favorite biker song and books? Do you have a favorite event or gear? Do you wear a helmut? Send your answers to our Burning Questions to the same address above and include your name and neighborhood.
Both the list and the Web site are good sources of common-sense information for car drivers, and both attempt to promote a better understanding of motorcycling. The campaign was heavily covered on enthusiast Web sites such as superbike.com and motorcycledaily.com, but isn't that just preaching to the choir? The problem is getting this information into car drivers' hands.
In 2003 I visited the Isle of Man, a tiny island in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. The Isle of Man is famous for its 100-year tradition of public-road racing. Each June the island -- just 30 miles long and 13 miles wide -- closes many of its public roads for two weeks of motorcycle racing. Imagine the Vintage Grand Prix in Schenley Park, but on a 37-mile course, and for two weeks.
Car drivers coexist with motorcyclists year-round. In race season cars use the less convenient coast roads during practice and racing sessions, leaving the main roads to the bikers.
The local government stocks cafes, pubs and grocery stores with schedules so motorists can be prepared for delays, and also with pamphlets instructing car and van drivers how to peacefully share the road with motorcyclists.
On an island with just 75,000 residents, getting a pamphlet in nearly every driver's hand was a simple task. In the U.S., a nation of nearly 200 million licensed drivers, raising motorcycle awareness is more complicated.
I applaud the MSF's efforts and will pass forcardrivers.com along in hopes that those top 10 tips will be seen by the very people most in need of them.
In the meantime, I'll be on the lookout for potholes and tar strips and distracted drivers. But warm weather has returned, and I'm ready for those favorite roads.
