To the Editor,
I would like to address a few points raised in the letter, “Where is the enforcement for bikes?” published in the AV News on Sept. 13.
To paraphrase, the writer is asking why should motorists have to share the road with bikes, when bikes don’t pay their share, and why are there no rules and enforcement for bikes on the road?
Funds for municipal roads come from property taxes, along with grants and other money from higher levels of government. Cyclists are property owners, wage earners, and consumers like everyone else, so they pay taxes and contribute to the costs of road construction and maintenance at about the same level as the general population.
Speaking for myself, even though I endeavor to ride my bike to work every day, year round, I don’t ride a bike exclusively. I also own and insure two cars for my family of three, so I am contributing to ICBC and fuel tax revenues as well. I would guess that most adult cyclists also own cars.
Rules for cyclists have long been included in the BC Motor Vehicle Act. Section 183 of the Act is titled, “Rights and duties of operator of cycle.”
It states, “…a person operating a cycle on a highway has the same rights and duties as a driver of a vehicle.” and it contains many details about how bikes are to be properly ridden, including the fact that it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk and in crosswalks. For an easy to read summary of these rules, you can Google the cycling manual called BikeSense, or just search for the act itself.
As for improved enforcement of cycling rules, I agree with the letter writer that this would be helpful. As a cyclist, I cringe at the danger of bikes riding the wrong direction in traffic, on the sidewalk, and darting across lanes without signals and without helmets. However, education is equally important, and the city’s implementation of bikes lanes and road markings are an important part of this awareness.
Bill Brown,
Port Alberni.