A bicyclist crosses 17th Street as he rides along Lawrence Street near Union Station in Denver on April 3. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)
Re: “Bikes could soon share 16th Street Mall all weekend as part of slew of projects,” April 4 news story.
I’m all for establishing better-protected bikeways in the Denver area. However, along with the privilege of obtaining more access for bicyclists should come responsibility on the part of bicyclists, an attribute of which I see precious little. Coasting through stop signs and stop lights, going the wrong way on a one-way street, riding three or four abreast on a narrow road or street, and riding down a sidewalk at breakneck speed are all too common.
I also abhor obnoxious, aggressive motorists who harass bicyclists, and I am well aware of motorists continually violating traffic laws. However, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t see at least one motorist being pulled over by the police, while I’ve yet to see a bicyclist stopped by the police. There are laws on the book to penalize miscreant bicyclists. Let’s enforce them.
So, let’s make Denver more bicycle-friendly, but let’s start imposing punitive measures against those bicyclists who are less than concerned about the laws designed to protect the safety and welfare of others.
Jon Weimer,Denver
This letter was published in the April 8 edition.
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