The Editor, Re: "Bikes still lagging behind," News, Sept. 13. I have been an avid cyclist (to and from work) for more than 10 years. I commuted to two different jobs each day. I enjoyed year-round cycling until recently.
I rode from Gilbert and Granville, south on Gilbert and up to Williams and down the Williams Road path to No. 5 Road, and I enjoyed it very much. Then just about two years ago, I was terribly frightened cycling south on Gilbert (one too many close calls with cars) and re-routed my trip.
Well, the new route also became a nightmare of sorts as most people did not seem to realize that the painted bike on the road gave us permission to cycle alongside the cars.
Then my job changed, and I just gave up because most areas I needed to travel involved Gilbert Road.
In summary, I need the City of Richmond to know it is great to have a path on Railway, Granville and part of No. 3 Road, But we need the main north/south arteries to be covered.
What good does it do to cycle the dyke or some of the safer routes if you cannot reconnect to your home on a secondary path. Let's cut back on the cars, put a bike lane down Gilbert and No. 2 Road, and even No. 1 Road. This will force the three-car families to take up cycling and return our community to a greener environment. After all Richmond is flat and an ideal place to cycle, all year round.
Anne Macdonald
Richmond
