Letters 3-13-14

Drivers should obey all signage

Drivers should obey all signage

I have been riding a road bicycle on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway for the past five years and average about three rides a week. I cringe every time I come to the intersection at Hina Lani Street and the highway.

It seems that a lot of the drivers on the highway coming from the direction of the airport and who are trying to make a left turn onto Hina Lani Street (toward Costco) are not paying proper attention to their driving. Too many of them missed reading or don’t know what the large, well-marked sign above their green light means. It reads “left turn yield on green.” So what does that sign mean? It is telling you that oncoming traffic going in the direction toward the airport also have a green light and oncoming traffic has the right of way. Oncoming traffic includes trucks, cars, motorcycles, mo-peds, and, yes, bicycles in the bike lane.

I have seen and have been the victim of quite a few near misses at that intersection from left-turning drivers who fail to yield. Please be aware that even us lowly bicyclists have the right of way at that intersection and other intersections similarly signed. Just because the car in front of you made a left turn and didn’t hit anything doesn’t mean you won’t.Take a second or two to make sure you aren’t going to interfere with any oncoming traffic. Causing an accident may subject you to both criminal and civil liability. You don’t want to go down that road.

Taky Tzimeas

Kailua-Kona