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Letters: Drivers and cyclists must both be more civil

On May 28, cyclist John Chapman was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on Route 413 just north of Ridgeview Road in Plumstead Township - just 10 days after Doylestown Borough and the Central Bucks Bicycle Club sponsored a "Ride of Silence" to draw attention to the number of cyclists who are killed by motorists each year.

On May 28, cyclist John Chapman was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on Route 413 just north of Ridgeview Road in Plumstead Township - just 10 days after Doylestown Borough and the Central Bucks Bicycle Club sponsored a "Ride of Silence" to draw attention to the number of cyclists who are killed by motorists each year.

I am a cyclist. Because I must, I use Route 413 to get to more rural roads in upper Bucks County. It often seems that motorists regard cyclists as mere objects in the way of getting from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible. But cyclists are your neighbors, your relatives and colleagues, or someone in your church.

Yes, it is also true that some cyclists are rude, insensitive, and do not make an effort to minimize the conflicts inherent in sharing the road with motorists.

We all need to be more civil in our treatment of one another on roadways. John Chapman's death was the result of a senseless act. Perhaps it may serve to heighten our awareness as motorists, and remind us of the dangers we pose to cyclists, so that we will drive with a little more care and a little less anger.

Terry W. Clemons

Doylestown