This is in response to the letter published in the Oct. 17 Victoria News, by Jeremy King, complaining that Victoria cyclists are not following the rules of the road.
I am a 70-year-old woman and have been getting around on my bicycle (not an e-bike) almost exclusively for over three years. Before I became a cyclist (and a much healthier person), I shared some of Mr. King’s impatience with cyclists. And I still do sympathize with some of the comments he made.
But as for the complaint that cyclists “blow through stop signs,” this ignores some practical points.
In a collision between a cyclist and a car, the cyclist will come out the worst. Therefore, it behooves us to be alert and cautious at stop signs. I don’t know anyone who “blows through” without checking properly to be sure it is safe. However, to be sure, we often do not come to a full (stationary) stop.
Visibility and hearing are far superior on a bicycle than in a car. We can hear and see what is happening around us much better than drivers in cars. We are more in the position of pedestrians, who, when they approach an intersection, can judge whether or not it is necessary to come to a full stop. If we come to a full stop, we will be slow starting up again, and this will impede the cars behind us and make the drivers impatient. This is especially true if we must stop at the bottom of a hill. So consideration calls for us to keep moving in many situations, provided it is safe to do so.
I am so pleased with the courtesy of drivers who realize that it is often not easy or practical for cyclists to come to a full stop, and who wave us through. I also tip my hat to the many pedestrians who, at pedestrian crossings on the bike lanes, wave us on. It is much easier for them to stop and get started again than it is for us. I want to say thank you to those people for their courtesy and consideration.
Ruth Magnusson
Victoria
