Cyclists and motorists need to be educated
LETTERS
Having recently written deploring the angry screeds of many “Roast and Toast” contributors, I congratulate Robert Gammon (The Herald, Jan. 18) for a calmer tone in his opposition to the 7 Avenue cycling boulevard. I believe his argument is sometimes incomplete, however, and sometimes wrong.
I do agree fully with Mr. Gammon on our need for an intensive campaign to educate cyclists about what is legal and smart. We also need to educate motorists. After all, motorists are not the ones who will die in a crash with a bicycle.
Cyclists are currently visible as the chief offenders because many of them ride illegally on sidewalks and across crosswalks. Many motorists, on the other hand, are complicit. Well-meaning ones stop to let cyclists ride across a crosswalk. Others do not. Put the two together and you have a recipe for an accident. Until cyclists stop doing this, we cannot begin to meld into traffic.
If a cyclist rides properly on a bike route, however, in the right-hand lane — riding in and out of traffic in the parking lane is bad and dangerous — they often incur the wrath of drivers for being too slow and obstructing traffic. Many cyclists in this city can manage a steady 30-35 kilometres an hour, but that will not satisfy many drivers.
Designated bike lanes on several eastwest, north-south routes would help but motorists would need to be educated not to “door” cyclists from parked cars, or encroach on the bike lane with moving cars. In other words, cyclists, drivers and even pedestrians need to be educated about cycling as part of the mix in vehicle use.
Renovations to 7 Avenue directly privilege a minority of persons, as Mr. Gammon says — just as do curling rinks, softball fields, swimming pools, etc. But it is an excellent first step to encourage safe commuter and recreational cycling — just as the vast infrastructure for other sports and recreation has done.
Mr. Gammon claims the abuse to 7 Avenue over the past couple of months occurred “as predicted.” If we are ever to have safe cycling, we might better call that abuse for what it is: vandalism and a crime. If we cannot attempt to support a culture of city cycling even on 7 Avenue — which is far less appropriate for through car traffic than 6th, 9th and 10th — only the most foolhardy cyclists will use city streets on a regular basis, and many will continue to ride illegally on sidewalks and crosswalks.
James D. Tagg
Lethbridge