I am continually amazed at the justifications I hear from cyclists who are riding on sidewalks and pedestrian-only walkways.

The following comments from cyclists illustrate their misguided thinking: When I nearly got hit by a cyclist coming around the corner on the sidewalk his excuse was that he forgot his bicycle helmet at home. (The new bicycle mayor would be proud.) When riding on the sidewalk along Wharf Street, the cyclist explained with a straight face that the bicycle lane was closed. A cyclist riding on the sidewalk on Government Street said, B次元官网网址淲ell, thereB次元官网网址檚 no bike lane.B次元官网网址� On the pedestrian only side of the Johnson Street Bridge, a cyclist said: B次元官网网址淏ut the bike lane is all the way over there.B次元官网网址漈he best of the worst, however, was a cyclist riding with his son on the West Bay Walkway who said that the rules didnB次元官网网址檛 apply to him. What a wonderful lesson to teach his child.

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How long do you think a pedestrian would last if they walked in the bike lanes? From experience: about 30 seconds, and this was on a bicycle lane that was closed to cyclists at the time. I took three steps and was told by cyclists, who should not have even been there, that it was a bicycle lane. I wonder what would have happened if it was actually open to cyclists at the time.

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If drivers were this ignorant of the rules and laws or chose to ignore them, they would not be allowed to drive. Cyclists that are not aware of, or choose to ignore, the laws shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be allowed to ride either. They should be licensed. We constantly hear about cyclist safety, but what about pedestrian safety? Make no mistake, if a pedestrian gets hit by a cyclist, the pedestrian is going to get hurt. I once saw a cyclist hit a child (in a park in Toronto) that resulted in a compound fracture to the childB次元官网网址檚 leg. The cyclist was fine.

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The mayor and council continue to ignore the problem and reiterate that licensing is not their responsibility. Neither are the laws around bicycle helmets, however, the bicycle mayor advocates for not wearing them. IB次元官网网址檓 sure city council could advocate to license cyclists as well but chooses not to.

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My guess is they will continue to bury their heads in the sand until one of us gets hurt.

Erie Pentland

Victoria