I read with interest the article by Samantha Holomay on the unsafe Uptown intersection. Nicole Francis, mentioned in the article, is quite right in her comment about vehicles turning with little regard for those crossing the road (I include reference to bicycles as vehicles).
Cyclists are becoming a nuisance for both motor vehicles and pedestrians. Many cyclists feel they do not have to comply with the rules of the road. They run red lights and stop signs, yelling at others to get out of the way.
It is time the province requires cyclists to license their bikes (not just register them on a website in case they get stolen) but actually license them as we used to do back in the 1960s and ’70s and to get liability insurance. Do these people realize they have a liability if they hit a pedestrian and seriously injure them? They cannot only receive a ticket from police but also be sued for damages for injuries caused. If they are a homeowner, they can purchase additional liability insurance on their homeowner policy.
I recently encountered a case where a cyclist on an electric bike with three children in the cargo bin on the front was turning right and yelling at the pedestrian in the crosswalk to “get out of the way.” Time for mandatory cyclist training and licensing maybe?
Harry Felsing
Saanich
