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Last Friday afternoon we were on our way into the city, driving south on Peter Street and stopped at North Street to proceed through the four-way stop intersection. I came to a full stop, cleared the right, in front of me, and the left, then back to the right before proceeding south through the intersection.
As I cleared the right again, I noticed a young man about 16 on a bicycle cruising at top speed east on North Street. He didn't even slow down as he blew through the four-way stop intersection. To make things worse, he was focused on his cellphone.
When are the municipal officials and police forces going to enforce the laws with respect to cyclists? When are cyclists going to be held to the same standards as motorists as they coexist on our roadways? When do motorists get some respect? Have you ever seen a cyclist pulled over by an authority?
Motorists pay gasoline taxes to maintain the roadway. What do cyclists pay?
Now let me switch gears, so to speak, and approach the issue as a pedestrian.
I just spent the past seven months dodging bicyclists on the sidewalks of downtown Orillia. Why are cyclists on the sidewalk when they are supposed to be on the road? If they want to be on the sidewalk, why don't they “walk” their bicycle?
I am all for co-operation as long as it goes both ways.
Doug Lewis
Orillia
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