Cyclists

Is there any good time to start bashing bicycle riders? Sure, and now is one of them.

More and more cities are providing cycle lanes for these nimrods and I think that is just plain wrong. Don't get me wrong, bicycle lanes are okay in some places, but major thoroughfares are not one of them. In our town, we had a nice four lane road along the river that took commuters downtown in a matter of minutes. At 5 PM it took them safely home again, in a matter of minutes. Everyone was happy and God was in his Heaven. Then some dork at City Hall decided we needed a bicycle lane down this road. It would provide safety for cyclists and reduce pollution from idling cars were his arguments for installing these silly things.

We went from 4 lanes of traffic down to two. This results in longer line-ups at traffic lights with people waiting to get through. This results in more idling cars spewing exhaust fumes into the ozone. This results in more cases of road rage as motorists run out of people to talk to on their cell phones and decide that if the four cars ahead of them can turn on a red light, then so can they. As for the safety of the cyclists, you can see one or two riders every once in a while actually using the lanes. The rest, if any are to be found, continue to ride on the sidewalk as they feel safer there. Strange that we have a by-law prohibiting bicycles from being on sidewalks, but the police seem loathe to enforce it.

My biggest beef with cyclists is that though they are classified the same as other vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act, they don't obey any of the rules of the road or go through the gyrations a motorist has to in order to be on the road in the first place.

They don't have to take a written driver's test like motorists do. (This would be a good thing as it would weed out those idiots who can't understand a 'One Way Only' sign) They don't have to take a road test like motorists do. (This would be a good thing as it would weed out those who insist on riding the wrong way down a one way street. Or even riding on the wrong side of the road.) They don't have to license their bikes every year or two like motorists do. (This would be a good thing, considering how many bikes are stolen each year.) They don't have to pay horrendous insurance rates like motorists do. (This would be a good thing as they could have the insurance company pay any pedestrians for damages incurred when they are hit by a bicycle on a sidewalk.) They don't have to pay exorbitant taxes at the gas pumps like motorists do. (A special, annual tax on cyclists would be a good thing as then they would at least fund their own bicycle lanes and maybe have a say in where they are to be installed.) They don't stop and wait for red lights and moan if they do get a ticket. They don't signal turns, leaving it up to the motorist to guess what their intentions are. They demand all the rights and want none of the responsibilities that go with those rights.

Until they do start paying some of their way, cyclists should shut up and be grateful for what they can get. And a bike path on an already overly congested thoroughfare is not one of them. I may have to share the road with some of these idiots, but I sure don't have to like it.