Island cyclist urges car drivers to obey the law and steer clear of those on bicycles

Stop endangering cyclists

I have ridden a bicycle on Hilton Head for 22 years, and feel the need to clear the air.

According to South Carolina State Law, Section 56-5-3420, “A person riding on a bicycle on a roadway must be granted all the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle.”

Section 56-5-3430 further states that, “Every bicyclist operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the road as is practicable.”

Sadly, I, along with many other riders, suffer from motorists honking horns, swerving in order to intimidate us and a host of other dangerous behaviors which, more than once, have resulted in serious injury and even death.

This kind of intimidation is at best uncool, and at worst, deadly.

Please stop doing this to your fellow islanders. If you want the rest of the world to see us as a friendly place to be, act friendly. You might save someone’s life.

Bicycles and cars are simply a form of transportation. Neither should be used as a weapon.

Franklin Bolgan, HHI

No to abortion ban

I support a woman’s right to make medical decisions about her own body.

As a husband and as a father and grandfather of girls, I do not want legislators making those decisions for the women in my life.

If my granddaughter is raped, or if my granddaughter’s contraception fails, (none is 100% effective), I do not want legislators telling her she has to carry a fetus to term.

If my granddaughter has a pregnancy resulting in a fetus dying in utero or brain dead in utero or guaranteed to die shortly after birth, I do not want legislators making the decision that she has to carry that fetus to term.

This is an extremely difficult decision to make, and legislators should have no role in it.

For the religious argument, God provided the means to get pregnant. God also provided the means to prevent pregnancy, and to end a pregnancy before birth. Who do legislators think they are to make that decision for God?

Vote NO on the abortion ban.

Thomas Balliet, Bluffton

Locks for bridge?

Here’s a potential solution to the frustration expressed about our local swing bridge in a recent letter to the editor.

Mind you, I am not an engineer, but I’ve traveled enough to see the results and practicality of what I’m about to suggest.

Has anyone ever explored building a lock system under the bridge so that it need be opened in only the most extreme cases if at all?

I know these are generally built when waterways are at different levels (Panama Canal), but I see no reason why it couldn’t work so that boats could go “under something”... like a bridge.

Might our extreme tidal changes be an issue? I don’t know. As I said, I’m not an engineer.

All that said, if a lock system has not been previously explored, now, with all the federal money floating around, combined with the increasing need for solutions to a problem that’s only going to get worse, maybe it’s time we check it out.

Frank Wainwright, St. Helena Island

Prepare to vote

National Voter Registration Day is Sept. 20.

Citizens must be registered to vote to take part in the Nov. 8 General Election, and must be certain their information is correct, especially if an address or name change has occurred. Be sure to have a photo ID when registering.

The last day to register to vote in person is Oct. 7; online or by fax, Oct. 9; by mail, postmarked Oct. 10 or earlier.

Early voting at your County Voter Registration and Elections Office begins Oct. 24.

To vote by mail, know how to get and return a ballot.

To vote in person on Election Day, know where your precinct is.

South Carolina has more than 3 million registered voters, but only 17% voted in the 2022 primaries. One reason people do not vote is they feel uninformed about the candidates and issues. VOTE411.ORG allows voters to enter their address and see who thier candidates are and what referenda will be on their ballot.

Invite family and friends to register. Participate in democracy by voting in the General Election on Nov. 8. Every vote matters.

Elizabeth Sumner Jones, Columbia, SC League of Women Voters

This story was originally published September 18, 2022 at 6:00 AM.