Bike battle heats up at the beach

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - "Can't we all get along" seems to be the rallying cry for area high speed bikers.

In one week, the local biking community will hold a safety summit with Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms. Sessoms is trying to figure out a solution to what has become a war of the roads.

It didn't take WAVY News 10 long to find people who don't like the bikers. "There's a lot of things out here people don't like about the bikers," said one man who did not want to be identified. He watched as several bikers rode through a stop sign. "They blew through that stop sign. Every stop sign you see they will blow right through. They don't stop, they just keep coming."

Bikers are suppose to follow the rules of the road, however, at stop signs Virginia Beach Police say once the first biker stops, and the way is clear, as a matter of practicality the other bikers can continue without stopping.

On the back roads of Virginia Beach the speed limit is 35, and that is the problem. People get stuck behind several bikers and can't pass them on solid yellow lines, and the biking pack is only going 20 miles per hour.

Joe Vizi owns Fat Frogs Bike and Fitness and he understands drivers' concerns, "We prefer to have 15 or 20 bikers, but sometimes 200 show up. We have five or six group leaders who break it down, but it's not always possible to get a 20 pile group."

The Fat Frogs Bikers were targeted with thumb tacks thrown on curves on the Pungo Roads. Forty tires got popped and a few bikers fell. "I think it's an anger-filled event for one individual," said Vizi. Virginia Beach Police have a suspect who is in his 40s and he is cooperating with the investigation and could be charged with destruction of property

Rick Young knows the dangers of the road. He was out on a ride when a drunk driver hit him from behind. "I heard a grunt come out of my mouth," said Young. "I remember the impact; flying through the air, sliding, then coming to a stop and wondering what happened. The driver came up and said what are you doing in the middle of the road. I said I was only a couple feet away from the curb."

Mike Hosang's been on the wrong end of an angry driver. He had a 64 oz. big gulp container thrown at him. "It's a matter of courtesy and mutual respect. Check out the law."

The law is simple. Bikers are allowed on the road. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation , bicyclists and motorists basically have the same rights and duties, and the laws governing traffic regulation apply equally to both. Bicyclists must ride with the flow of traffic on the right side of the highway.

"I think cyclist get a bad rap," said David Conte who owns Conte's Bicycle and Fitness Equipment. He wants a peaceful co-existence on the roads. "I think the best option is to with existing funds pave a little extra on the shoulders to give us that extra two feet we really need."

They could be getting more space than that. WAVY.com has learned there's a proposal to use existing funds to add bike lanes to Shore Drive from Kendall Street to 82nd street. The cost $2.4 million dollars. Five feet of bike lane in the eastbound lane towards the ocean is expected to be added by July 2012. The westbound lane would be added by 2013.

No one has pushed harder to get a fair compromise than Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms. "The shoulder length can be widened on Shore Drive. Now the question is can we do it, and can we find the money."

Sessoms seems more concerned about the biking situation on the back roads of Pungo. "I'll be honest, I don't think we need groups of 30-40 bicyclists in a line in Pungo on a very narrow road."

Vizi said he understands the frustration the Mayor and residents have with his rides that can reach 200 riders. "Yes, I do. I do....smaller groups are good as well...but they show up."

The Bike Summit between the Virginia Beach Mayor and the bikers is Thursday, July 28.