Re: Officials can’t rely on just one system (Letters, Jan. 31)
On tsunami warnings, I concur with the writer who criticized Victoria’s current system.
As a James Bay resident, too, I learned of the recent alert only from the radio upon wakening. I’m not impressed with local organizers/officials patting themselves on the back and hope they truly consider other opinions in order to improve upon the existing system.
I don’t use a cell phone, so won’t have the associated app. You can bet most people with hearing capability would readily respond to a wail of sirens throughout the CRD. Low tech works, you know.
Regarding cars and bikes, I love driving and I love biking. While it’s expensive and disruptive installing bike lanes, I’ve come to accept it’s a good move and I appreciate the cycling community’s perseverance.
However, there will not be protected bike lanes everywhere, and drivers and cyclists have to improve upon their mutual road behaviours.
Far too many cyclists don’t wear helmets, don’t have lights or reflective clothing, do not stop at stop signs, ride in crosswalks, turn without signalling, do not plan ahead and are dangerous when zipping in and out of traffic. (The latter is a fault of many drivers, too.)
Because I know how to cycle in traffic it really burns me when I see cyclists with dismissive attitudes and the presumption that their actions take precedence over road rules.
When I’m driving, I double-duty and think like a cyclist. And the reverse when I’m biking. I’ll bet many cyclists learned how to drive at one time, so it behooves them to recall being behind the wheel and think like a driver. I had occasion to criticize one cyclist and he raised his fist at me in response. And the spandex gang need to share the road more often.
Vehicles will be in our lives for a long time and not everyone will learn how to bike. So let’s get used to improving our skills at sharing the road whether in a car or on a bike.
Pat McGuire
Victoria
