street smarts

story By christina hughes BaBB

photos By can türkyilmaz and danny Fulgencio

Dallas, with its car-clogged streets and hurried drivers, can be a dangerous place for bicycle commuters. But watching 60-yearold Bill Bryan, in loafers and a navy sports coat, pedal his 1972 Raleigh up a quiet street, there is no indication, save the helmet on his head, that he comprehends the potential perils awaiting him.

Don’t let the casual demeanor or his subtle smile fool you, though. He knows what he is up against — honks, close calls, motorists’ angry assertions that bikes don’t belong on roads. A time or two, he has dived into grass out of the way of oblivious and fast-approaching drivers.

Not to mention, as put by one neighbor who believes bikes don’t belong on streets at all, “a cyclist can’t keep up with the flow of cars and one blown tire or pothole could pitch him into traffic and, squish, with no one legally at fault.”