As I’m sure all of our tourism fixated community is well aware, Nov. 22 is American Thanksgiving, and despite our miserable weather, there were a number of American visitors on our downtown streets.
I happened to have a haircut at my Barber’s in the Bay Centre, prior to going to the Empress Hotel, and to an appointment at James Bay.
As I began to walk south on Broad St., and crossed Fort St. – and the new bicycle lanes – using the marked crosswalk, I noticed an elderly couple coming across the same cross walk in the opposite direction. When suddenly a very large man on a bicycle rode within mere inches of us. He neither slowed, made a warning sound nor apologized for nearly hitting the three of us.
For my part, I was both shocked and angry because this ridiculous and highly dangerous behavior will at some point result in a serious injury or death to an innocent pedestrian. And we must all wonder at the stupidity of too many of these cyclists.
As for the elderly couple, they merely asked me a most interesting question, and not in a nice way, prior to continuing on their way. The gentleman simply looked at me and said “How come all of your cars stop when there is a pedestrian in a crosswalk, but your bicycles don’t?”
Frank Gatto
Victoria
