For Bruce Rosar, being on a bike isn’t just a way to travel — it’s a different way of looking at traffic.

Rosar, 55, a Cary resident, was recently elected as the Region 3 Director for the League of American Bicyclists.

Rosar takes a different view with him as a new director, as a cycling instructor and as a cyclist: Roads are shared space.

Rosar said the idea is nothing new as it has been widely applied in Europe and in areas of the United States.

“You can see elements of it around Cary,” Rosar said. “It’s a different paradigm than what they call the traffic environment.”

Shared space is more than just roads, bicycles and automobiles. It is a way of integrating all types of human activity in public places, Rosar said.

Among the effects of shared space is a broader mix of transportation, Rosar said.

“The root reason people are scared to cycle in traffic is because of the perception that motorists have priority,” Rosar said.

In shared space, “Motorists don’t have priority,” Rosar said. “Everyone shares priority.”

Examples of how to make shared space work for everyone include roundabouts instead of four-way stops. Roundabouts get rid of lines, traffic signals and stop signs, Rosar said.

“It makes people in vehicles especially feel very uncertain that they have the right of way,” Rosar said. “It slows them down but it picks up the average speed because there are no prolonged stops.”

Roundabouts also cut down on left turns, Rosar said, because traffic not going through the circle will ultimately turn right to go on another street.

“We’re going to empower more people to walk or ride their bike by making it more informal,” Rosar said.

Rosar has had audiences for his ideas. He was one of several volunteers who helped the Town of Cary develop the bicycle element for its comprehensive transportation plan that was approved in 2001.

He currently serves on the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Stakeholders Group.

Rosar said the group is receptive to his point of view.

“My ideas don’t always get adopted by the group but they’re always willing to listen,” Rosar said.

Two-wheel vacation

Though ideas for improving transportation matter a great deal to Rosar, so do the practical realities of getting around town and just having fun on two wheels.

Rosar said he has been peddling vehicles for half a century.

“It’s something that I like to do for fun, for exercise, for transportation,” Rosar said.

Stress relief is a big benefit for him.

“I forget about pretty much everything when I’m biking,” Rosar said. “It’s sort of like going on vacation.”

Rosar, now retired, was a regular commuter to IBM in Research Triangle Park, where he was a programmer.

He has a stable of cycles including a road bike, mountain bike, commuter and tandem.

He said he and his wife, Margaret, ride the tandem frequently.

He rode his mountain bike on a recent night ride at Lake Crabtree County Park and tries to do one or two fast rides every week on his Trek Madone road bike.

Part of the fun for Rosar is teaching others about cycling as a League of American Bicyclists-certified league cycling instructor.

He received his certification in 1995 after more than a year of preparation.

The classes, Rosar said, help less experienced cyclists “feel empowered to go out and bike anywhere, any time.” The classes also pay off for him.

“It’s a great way to learn,” said Rosar said of the teaching. “To explain you have to understand it well.”

‘A real passion’

Rosar’s commitment to cycling and different approaches are nothing new to those who know him. Those aspects are what make him compelling to his friends.

“He’s just always had a real passion for cycling but he’s different from most folks,” said David Cole, who like Rosar, has also served in nearly every office of the N.C. Bicycle Club.

Cole said Rosar is committed to teaching effective cycling, both in terms of being part of traffic and operating a bicycle as a vehicle.

“He comes at this not just as a cyclist but as someone who cares about the rights and responsibilities of cyclists,” Cole said.

Steve Goodridge, the club’s advocacy officer and also a league cycling instructor, got to know Rosar several years ago after Rosar helped organize a memorial ride for a cyclist killed by a motorist.

Goodridge said Rosar was the first person he ever talked to about cycling advocacy.

“From the first day I met him he helped me understand the paradigm issue,” Goodridge said.

The two of them were among the founders of the N.C. Coalition of Bicycle Driving.

Goodridge said Rosar helped him understand the distinction “between pedestrians on wheels” and “bicycle drivers” and an aim of the coalition was to help the public understand the difference better.

As a former member of Cary’s Planning and Zoning Board, Goodridge said the work that went into the coalition helped him and Rosar “bridge the gap” when it came to sharing ideas on transportation with municipal planners and engineers.

“We wanted to make them aware of some of the paradigm issues,” Goodridge said.

In addition to Rosar’s big picture, Goodridge is also impressed by Rosar’s attention to detail when he teaches cycling. “He’ll practice again and again and again not only to do it right but practice again and again and again to do it wrong but not hurt himself,” Goodridge said.

Sometimes Rosar isn’t just bringing up different ideas locally.

His recent election to the league’s board of directors was something of an insurgency. He was not the endorsed candidate but won on a platform of increasing transparency in the organization, improving its advocacy activities and reviving some of its membership services.

He said he can see a difference.

“The league is doing more and more of the things we bring up,” Rosar said.