Biking in Fairhaven

Bicyclists question their safety in the streets

With spring ascending, bicyclists are returning to the road and are finding it difficult to determine who has must yield to whom in the Fairhaven neighborhood.

“I believe in not going through red lights, but some bicyclists don’t care,” John Martin, an avid bicyclist said. “I try and be careful when I ride. I’ll whistle and slow down for walkers, but I know I’ve made some mistakes too.”

Martin said he finds the problem includes both the bicyclist and driver. Bicyclists rip around corners too fast cutting off pedestrians and cars need to be more careful when opening doors, he said.

Martin rides from Northwest Avenue to the Fairhaven neighborhood as a part of his daily workout. He has been a part of the Bellingham community all of his life. He attended Bellingham High School and graduated from Western with a degree in music. Safety is always in the back of my mind after learning a bicyclist was killed by a vehicle in the area two years ago, he said.

Educational options

Julie Olsen, an assistant at the Fairhaven Pharmacy said it’s not clear who has the right of way when bicyclists are coming from Boulevard Park into Downtown Fairhaven. Part of the problem is that the road narrows and becomes condensed, she said.

Olsen has grown up in the Fairhaven neighborhood and has seen it go through many changes. It doesn’t seem possible to change the roadways because the parking spaces are needed as well, she said.

“Educational flyers would be a good way to tell people about bicycling laws,” Olsen said.

Riding up to speed

“I know what to do as a cyclist so I feel safe,” Joey Mullan, a sales associate at Fairhaven Bike & Ski, said. “I treat myself as a vehicle, I try to bike with the speed of cars or if I don’t I go off to the side.”

Most of the streets in Fairhaven have stop signs so a bicyclist can act more like a car, but a lot of cyclists do not know what to do, he said.

Mullan has never had an accident in Fairhaven on his bicycle, but his left arm bears a scar from a Tacoma incident. A vehicle crossed a double yellow line in the road in order to park and it hit me, he said. In another instance, Mullan recalls selling a bicycle to a woman and later seeing her with a four person group all riding side by side.

The city of Bellingham allows for only two bicyclists to ride side by side. Vehicles must yield to bicyclists and bicyclists must yield to pedestrians, according to the city website.

“If you actively seek out the rules you’ll find them,” Mullan said. “Everyone is just lazy.”