“Share the road” is a sensible rule for cyclists and motorists. But it applies just as well to a policy battle involving Skyliners Road, which has been used for cycling events for about 11 days, on average, during each of the past five years. According to some Skyliners Road residents, that’s just too much.

Eleven days out of every 365 certainly doesn’t sound excessive. But the things that happen during those 11 days, and the condition of the road itself, have frightened and angered a number of residents. Getting to and from their homes during events can be a challenge. Cyclists riding two abreast sometimes act as rolling road blocks, forcing passing motorists across the center line. Over much of its length, meanwhile, the road itself is both narrow and increasingly decrepit.

Neighbors also believe that high-profile events act as an advertisement for the road, says Deputy County Administrator Erik Kropp. Drawn to Skyliners on non-event days, casual cyclists end up creating many of the problems faced by motorists during race days.

It’s easy to see why neighbors are frustrated, but closing the road to events, as some would like, is a terrible idea. Bend’s growing reputation as a cycling mecca is due, in part, to events that use Skyliners. These include events for elite cyclists, events that raise money for charity and low-profile events that attract serious recreational cyclists who’ve chosen to call Bend home.

Closing Skyliners to races — even cutting back — would harm the city’s livability and its economy. Moreover, it would do little, if anything, to reduce the number of cyclists who use the road casually. Cyclists flock to Skyliners despite its obvious shortcomings because it offers a scenic, sheltered climb just outside of town without heavy traffic. Unless the county paves Skyliners with thumbtacks, cyclists are going to keep right on coming.

What does make sense, on the other hand, is a proposal by county staff that would freeze the number of races on Skyliners at roughly their current level. It also would impose a $100 event fee, which would help pay for additional patrols along Skyliners during race days. County commissioners will take up the issue again at a pair of meetings later this month.

Eventually, the thinking goes, Uncle Sam will repave Skyliners Road and add bike lanes, thereby allowing the county to ease up on whatever race restrictions commissioners impose. If any road in or near Bend needs such work more than Skyliners, we don’t know what it is. However, people who live along Skyliners should be aware that such improvements will inevitably increase the number of cyclists — both competitive and casual — who use the road. Skyliners will still be attractive for all the reasons that it is now, but it will be safer and smoother. As a result, those who live along Skyliners will always have to share the road with cyclists to a degree greater than residents in almost any other area of Bend. They should make their peace with that fact.