The incident where the cyclist threw his poop at a car is just a step or two beyond what pedestrians on sidewalks, pathways and crosswalks have to put up with from far too many adult or near adult cyclists in Victoria on an ongoing basis.
Nothing in this account of a cyclist attacking a woman motorist surprised me other than the type of weapon the cyclist employed to attack the poor unfortunate woman and her vehicle.
Council may have inadvertently helped to encourage this behaviour by promoting the view that cyclists are on the side of the angels and are making a far more substantial contribution to solving our transportation and climate ills than they actually are, thus giving them license to behave as if they should not be subject to the laws and norms to which other less privileged members of society are expected to conform.
I am also holding a letter from a cyclist named Connie Thompson who wrote to the Victoria News a week ago to complain about motorcyclists (apparently legally) using bicycle lanes in heavy stop and go traffic so as to prevent their vehicles from overheating in hot weather.
It has probably never occurred to this same cyclist that pedestrians of varying ages and physical conditions do not like having cyclists silently come up on them and attempt to pass them on sidewalks and pathways at great speed.
Motorcycles and their riders at least give cyclists an auditory warning of their approach.
John R Bell
Esquimalt
