Your Aug. 2 editorial added to the attention that has been paid to the recent stupidity contest between cyclists and a motorist in Seattle, which, near as I can tell, ended in a tie. But there’s another group that confronts cyclists: pedestrians. And that leads me to an urgent request.

I often walk the path along West Lake Sammamish Parkway in the morning for a little exercise and fresh air. Nothing like a whiff of exhaust from a few hundred passing cars to start the day. Bicycle traffic runs both directions on that path. Obviously, when a cyclist approaches me from the front, I can see it. But, not so when they come up from behind me.

So, the urgent request. Let me know you’re coming! A simple “passing on your right” or horn or bell…anything.

I’ve become less worried about being hit by a car than by a bicycle. I’d hate to take a step to the side to avoid a low branch or puddle, and be run over by a two-wheeler I didn’t know was coming, or have him try to avoid me and hit a car.

To those very few who do announce themselves, thank you. Tell your friends.

Don Riggs

Bellevue