Lethbridge drivers need to be considerate of cyclists

By Lethbridge Herald on July 28, 2022.

Editor:

Dear Lethbridge drivers, with the warmer weather you may notice an increase in the number of pedestrians and bike riders around the city and this is great! So many folks moving around in so many ways. Each person walking or biking is one fewer car on the road for you to be mildly irritated with. Less traffic for everyone is a wonderful thing! 

So when you see a person riding their bike in a neighbourhood or on a road, please remember to give them ample space and not harass them with rude comments about “getting off the road.” Your supposedly helpful suggestions for where a rider like myself can go (and how I can get there) only serve to show your ignorance of traffic rules. 

You see, I cannot ride on the sidewalk. It’s a sidewalk, its use is for walking and adorable chalk drawings by children. To ride there would be against the rules, and so without proper bike infrastructure, I’m forced to ride in the only other available space: the road. Since bikes are also vehicles, despite moving slower than your average car speed in the city now, bikes must be ridden in the proper place, amongst traffic. 

Sounds horrific doesn’t it? Surely a bike moving between 15 km and 45 kms/hr has no place among vehicles moving 50 kms/hr or above! But I assure you, this is the case. So when you see a cyclist on the road, just be grateful we aren’t taking up the space of a full car with just one person in it. 

Cheers!

Kelti Baird

Lethbridge