Summer is upon us, and more people are out on their bikes. 

As a biker, driver and occasional pedestrian I implore everyone to review the rules of the road and take their turns as appropriate. Four-way stop signs are the worst for bikers — plenty of drivers want to ignore the rules entirely and wave a biker through whenever they show up. 

But not all drivers, and it’s impossible to know which is which. 

There’s an easy answer to this: If you are driving a vehicle take your turn. If you are riding a bike take your turn. If you are walking take your turn. 

If you are in any traffic pattern with a biker, take your turn as the rules dictate. 

Waving a bike through against the rules is confusing for everyone and dangerous for the biker. The rules are there so everyone knows what is going to happen. So take your turn!

A biker, obviously avoiding eye contact, waiting to cross the road at an intersection without a stop sign doesn’t want you to stop. If yours is the only car in both directions don’t stop and wave the biker across. You are their primary threat and now you’ve confused things and I promise the biker would rather you carry on and leave an entirely empty road behind you. Just take your turn as the rules state.

Say it with me, “Take your turn!” 

And if you wave a biker through a stop sign against the proper order of things and they roll their eyes at you and scowl, that’s me cursing you for not just taking your turn.

Christine Jacobson
PORT TOWNSEND