Mountain vs. mole hill
Dear Editor:
No, bicycles do not belong with pedestrians. Yes, they belong with cars. Simple. A walker is nothing like a bicycle would be a clearer statement. Where the bicycle is not as large as a car, it does have the potential to reach the speed cars travel at. That does not belong on the sidewalk.
I’ve watched cyclists riding along a sidewalk with little concern for pedestrians. Not only do pedestrians have to watch out for automobiles they also have to “be on guard,” not just aware, of the cyclist that does not change their speed or consideration while travelling on sidewalks. Walkers are far more likely to step off the sidewalk to avoid the cyclist than the cyclist is to return to the road when they meet a walker.
“Unfortunate” is an understatement when a cyclist hits a walker. These collisions can result in life altering injuries for the walker and the cyclist. A cyclist approaching you at speed can be very disturbing and can leave walkers with anxiety.
Who’s going to pay for these new license plates and the administration it will require? Who’s going to do the reporting? How are they going to prove the registrant was the rider? Will there be court dates? Will they require insurance? At what point will the license plates be required? Will toddlers with training wheels need to register? Fair is fair. Sounds like a mountain made out of a mole hill.
I would suggest schools have bicycle training programs hosted by the OPP. Parents are not always the best at teaching the rules. If they don’t follow the rules their children won’t. Do they speed by cyclists on the road? Do they share the road? How do they operate their bicycle? Do they know how their children operate their bicycle? It all begins with setting an example.
Sidewalks are made for walkers, roads are made for motorized vehicles and bicycles. The biggest problem is when groups do not follow the rules set in place for all users. There’s your idiots. Allowing cyclist to use the sidewalk is not going to correct that.
Heather Aitken,
Fergus