Make room for cycling; make cycling more visible
Re: āDeaths raise alarm,ā July 30 news story
While I support bike lanes and anything else that promotes riding, people need to take more responsibility for their own safety. Look at the front-page photo. Everyone is dressed in dark or neutral clothes, and only one person has a light. They are all well camouflaged and blend well into the pavement, surrounding buildings and traffic. This is especially problematic at dusk, dawn and overcast days. Why is there no ordinance requiring an orange or lime green vest whenever a biker is on city streets? They are cheap, easy to put on and take off, and can be crumpled and stuffed into a pocket in seconds. Is fashion worth a life?
Elaine Zupancic, Denver
The death of cyclist Alexis Bounds is tragic. It appears she was a wonderful person, a marvelous mother. And, it appears that her death was the result of carelessness by a truck driver. Unfortunately, the spate of cyclistsā deaths was inevitable, what with a burgeoning cyclist population, crowded streets and aggressive drivers.
City officials have tried to retrofit Denver to accommodate cyclists, sometimes with comedic consequences ā witness the bike/car lane schematics in Washington Park, which look like a flow chart generated by a demented programmer.
However, I believe a key factor in reducing cyclist accidents is law enforcement ā curbing aggressive and obnoxious motorists and cracking down on miscreant cyclists who coast through stop signs and traffic lights, go the wrong way on one-way streets, and ride three to four abreast on narrow roads.
I often see errant motorists pulled over by police (a good thing). Iāve never seen a cyclist stopped by police. There are laws on the books; let¶¶Ņõap enforce them.
Jon P. Weimer, Denver
In 2004, the history division of the library produced a marvelous documentary on Coloradoās history of bicycle riding in the late 1800s, before the coming of the automobile. Then, and now, no state has embraced the bicycle like Colorado.
But I have been hit by autos twice, and in both cases the car won. I simply will not ride on the streets, my right to do so not withstanding.
If bicycles have any hope of playing a significant role in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and improving public health, something must change.
I would argue that the first part is cultural, the way states such as Oregon and countries such as Denmark view bicycling.
The second aspect is physical infrastructure. Bicyclists should not be asked to compete with dump trucks.
Only when the miles of dedicated bike lanes approach auto miles will we know progress is being made.
Maybe we need a bicycle czar.
Francis M. Miller, Parker
Zero-emission vehicles good for some, not others
Re: āWhy you should support Coloradoās push for zero-emission vehicle,ā July 28 commentary
As Ian Silverii extolled the virtues of his taxpayer-subsidized, zero-emission Nissan Leaf, I wonder whether it occurred to him that at least part of the reason his electricity is so inexpensive is that a little less than half of it is still generated from coal, and a significant portion of it from natural gas.
Eventually, however, the cost of electricity will spike dramatically as Xcel dots our landscape with hundreds of square miles of wind turbines, solar panels and transmission lines.
I also wonder whether Silverii realizes that each electric car requires about 15 kg (33 pounds) of cobalt in its batteries. Most of this cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where tens of thousands of children as young as 4 are forced to haul rocks to the surface from mines dug by hand as part of a cobalt mining operation.
Then, of course, thereās all that lithium. But no worries; it¶¶Ņõap all good, so long as we can enjoy our zero-emission cars in our own little space.
John Contino, Golden
As an electric car owner, I share Silveriiās enthusiasm, and as a person with poor hearing, I want to point out one additional reason to drive one.
Lacking an internal combustion engine, you hear no engine noise, only tire noise. You can listen to the radio or converse with a passenger without raising your voice. The roar of the engine is a thing of the past.
Phil Nelson, Golden
Re: āHitting the āgasā: That¶¶Ņõap the goal for electric cars,ā July 30 news story
My husband and I went to local dealerships looking for a plug-in hybrid all-wheel-drive car we had read about. Laughably, a salesman at one dealership emphatically told us the car wasnāt allowed here because it wouldnāt pass Colorado emission standards.
He was right about one thing; the car is not sold in Colorado. What did we do? We boarded a plane for Portland, spewing carbon across the country to get to a dealership that stocked that car.
After a 1,400-mile drive home, we now have a car that significantly cuts our carbon emissions on Colorado roads every day, and gets around well in the snow!
It¶¶Ņõap obvious from auto sales records that Colorado drivers will seldom do the right thing without incentives. And they canāt do the right thing when good choices are not available.
Providing incentives for auto manufacturers to offer their electric vehicles here earlier than required is an excellent idea.
Linda G. Jantzen, Littleton
Who was disparaged, Baltimore or president?
Re: āRacial appeals by Trump channel George Wallace,ā July 31 news story
Associated Press reporter Will Weissert opens with the allegation that Donald Trump has put race at the forefront of his re-election campaign. No, Mr. Weissert, Democrats and the media, including you, have made race an issue.
When the president refers to Baltimore as a ādisgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,ā the media seize yet another opportunity to impugn Trump and label his observation as racist. Well, rats are vermin, and they run rampant in parts of Baltimore, which is the definition of the word āinfestation.ā
Even the former mayor of Baltimore was horrified at what she saw when touring parts of her city in 2018, shocked at the stench of dead animals and rats everywhere. Now we are even being told that the word āinfestā is a racial slur, adding to a long list of unacceptable words that need to be avoided.
When conditions like those in Baltimore are allowed to fester over the years in a congressmanās district, calling them out is not racist just because that congressman happens to be African-American; nor is criticizing four freshman congresswomen for their ongoing vilification of America, its history and relations with Israel. Their ethnicity is not the issue, but the media and Democrats have attempted to make it so. Referring to gang members who kill by prolonged torture as āanimalsā is a comment most people would have no problem with, yet Weissert turns it into a racist remark.
Yes, sadly, racism does exist in America and around the world, but the knee-jerk reaction to attribute to racism anything the president does or says that peripherally involves a person of color demeans the power of the word āracistā and is an unfortunate trend in politics these days.
Karen Libby, Denver
Our president is stirring a race war as fast as he can. That is not OK. This is America, where blacks, Hispanics, Asians, natives and others have laid down their lives for me, and I am trusting that my fellow grumpy old white guys will stop this wicked lunacy in its tracks. You are over the line, Trump.
Richard Opler, Parker
Re: āPresident disparages district of critic,ā July 28 news story; āEarnest love letter to Baltimore and its people,ā July 28 book review
It has been upsetting reading the latest bullying and hateful tweets from our confused president about Rep. Elijah Cummings, who represents the district I lived in for eight years. The city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland have their challenges ā as do other large communities ā but I have very pleasant memories of my experience living in that lively, energetic and exciting place!
Notably, the same day The Denver Post published the article about the president¶¶Ņõap hateful description about the city and its representative on Page 1A, the Life & Culture section reviewed author Laura Lippmanās book, āLady in the Lake,ā headlined an āEarnest love letter to Baltimore and its people.ā What a refreshing viewpoint from Lippman. Thanks to The Sunday Denver Post. I am eager to read her book.
Susan Hogan, Castle Rock
You talkinā to me? I donāt think so, Robert De Niro
Re: āDe Niro: Thankfully, Mueller didnāt play me playing him,ā July 30 commentary
Just what we needed.
Another Hollywood poser analyzing and weighing in, unsolicited, on politics and the president, as if he had even an inkling of expertise in the subject.
Hard to believe it took nine tortured paragraphs to get around to calling Republicans āracist.ā
Bob, can we talk?
If you ask your publicist to assist with writing an op-ed diatribe, avoid using words such as āmendaciousā and āfetid,ā because Iām pretty sure theyāre not in your wheelhouse. And maybe you should stick to your strengths, such as pretending to be someone youāre not for our entertainment.
Finally, calling Trump a āmalignant narcissistā is truly rich. Perhaps an introduction is appropriate.
Pot, meet kettle.
Jon Pitt, Golden
