The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-18
WHEELMEN'S RIGHTS,

The community is so aroused every
season by the outrageous acts Of a few
scorchers that the resentment provok-
ed is apt to blind the Judgment and
to prevent a fair consideration of the
opposite side of this question, which is
whether cyclists have any rights that
anybody else is bound to respect The
G o b e will not be accused of any
undue sympathy with the wheelman as
against the pedestrian, for it has al
ways been an advocate of compelling
him to observe the rights of
the latter. 1t has also insisted
upon the prompt and severe punish
ment Of every man who rides a wheel
in improper places or. at a dangerous
rate of speed, or who attacks
the comfort and safety of others. 1T
does not follow in this, however, that
he is always the offender, and one has
but to make a tour of the city ard
the various cycle paths upon his wheel
to realize that in very large number
Of important instances the rider Of the.
wheel, whose name is legion, is more
sinned against than SHINING.
Certainly, to begin with, the en-
croachment of the bicycle upon the
sidewalk is no more offensive and far
less improper than the encroachment
of both foot and wheel travel upon
the cycle paths. These paths were not
constructed at the public expense. but
have been built by lovers and users
of the wheel out of their own private
funds. They ought to be safe against
invasion. Yet no one can traverse ona
of the paths leading out of ST. Paul at
any hour of the day in summer without
finding himself as seriously ANNOYED
by an invasion of his province as peo--
pie claim to be in the A-rritorv where
the wheel is allowed upon the side
walks. The people, taking their Sunday
afternoon STROLL fairly crowd upon the
cycle paths. If there is a narrow way
1t is filled with men, women and chill
dren, who make no effort to get out of
the way of the wheel, but compel the
rider to take the choice between run
ming into them and dismounting. They
use the cycle paths precisely as they
do the sidewalks, and claim and assert
the same rights thereon.
A much greater grievance is the de-
struction Of these paths by driving over
them in wheeled vehicles when the
ground is soft from recent rain. Hun
dreds of dollars of improvements made
by the associated wheelmen have been
destroyed by the drivers of wagons and
carriages, who, to escape the muddy
road, have deliberately taken to the cy-
Gle path, leaving it, when dried. dam
gerous, if not actually impossible. for
the wheel. Would it not be a good
idea, while we are imposing penalties
and restricting the cyclist to his proper
place, to see that his rightfuI privi-
leges, also, are secured to him?
In addition to these major annoy
ances, there are hosts of minor ones
that have grown to be a burden with
the great popularity of the wheel. Pc
destrians uniformly encroach upon the
street just as persistently, even more
so, as rule, than any wheelman wish
es to encroach upon the sidewalk. A
foot passenger has no right whatever
upon a street surface beyond the side
walk, except at the regular street
crossings. Yet there Is not a block in
the city where people do not cross per-
sistently in the middle of the block to
suit their convenience, or take a long
diagonal from one sidewalk to the
other, regarding approaching wheels
with indifference and assuming that it
is the business Of these to get out of
their way. In many sections Of. the
city the surface of the street is made
a play ground for the children Of the
neighborhood. You cannot ride through
these places at all except by picking
your way between a lot of scurrying
youngsters, who while away the hours