I began riding a bicycle to and from campus when I moved to an off-campus apartment in ’05 and now commute to Arlington and back every day. I read the op-ed (Northeastern needs bike know-how, May 23) this morning just after an incident I had on my way here that raises an important issue in the cycling community.

While traveling in the bicycle lane down Mass Ave through Central Square, a police officer pulled out from a parallel parked position and nearly ran me over. The officer then “pulled me over” and shouted at me for several minutes, threatening to “take me to the barracks” (for what, I don’t know). I didn’t dare point out that the officer failed to yield to a bicycle in fear for what charges would be pressed against me for angering him further. Eventually he returned to his squad car and drove off.

My point being, we lack support from just about everyone, including the people we need it from most, the police force. Automobile drivers hate cyclists, pedestrians hate cyclists, and the officer I met this morning clearly hates cyclists as well. I’ve been hit by careless right-turning vehicles, I’ve been doored, and the only thing I can hope for is that the driver is kind enough to write a check for bike repairs without being told by the law to do so, something that has happened only once for me in my two years of commuting.

While I agree that Northeastern could use more bicycle amenities, I also think that they would never see their full potential without improved community support for bicycling. Your idea of bike lanes in Northeastern is fantastic but, without law enforcement, the lanes will go just as ignored as those on Massachusetts Avenue in Central Square. Our drivers need a message that bicycle laws are real and they aren’t getting it. Also, our prospective cyclists need reassurance they have support should things go wrong; but with only bottomless paperwork at the police department and endless hours at court to turn to, what reason do they have to feel safe? Until they do, I suspect bicycling will remain a niche experience only enjoyed by us enthusiasts.

– Shane Siwinski is a junior mechanical engineering major.