Misguided vitriol

Re: “License the cyclists” and “Drivers are frustrated by scofflaw cyclists,” Letters, Jan. 2.

With winter now firmly entrenched, the volume of letters decrying urban cyclists has risen. Sadly, the vitriol is misguided.

Marian Burke chastises a cyclist for breaking the law, yet suggests that the cyclist should be riding on the sidewalk, which is also against the law. Increased education about traffic laws pertaining to cycling shouldn’t be limited to cyclists — her letter shows that many motorists are not in the know either.

Many cyclists do break laws. As a cyclist, that irritates me as well. However, many drivers break laws too, and seldom is that used as a reason to call for the banning of vehicles.

This is yet another reason for increased and improved cycling infrastructure, which would reduce these confrontations in the first place (not to mention help get more cars off the road and, ultimately, ease congestion).

J.B. Santos, Calgary