Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Cyclists should have insurance

My friend lost his daughter three years ago. She was a wife and mother of two young children and had just started a new executive position in London, England, with a six-figure salary.

My friend lost his daughter three years ago. She was a wife and mother of two young children and had just started a new executive position in London, England, with a six-figure salary.

She left her office for lunch, checked the road and stepped off the sidewalk when a cyclist came speeding out of nowhere and killed her. The trial went to the Old Bailey in London and, as bicycles need no licence or insurance, the lifestyle of the family has drastically been affected. The cyclist received an 18-month jail sentence.

Money will not bring her back, but if the cyclist had been insured, there would have been a little help financially.

I believe bike lanes are essential, but two-way bike lanes on a one-way street are ridiculous. Bikes used to be for leisure but now are a mode of transportation, and that is good, but they do need to be insured. We need to think about the ramifications of what can happen with more bikes on the road (not a bad thing), so please consider having the cyclist licensed and insured for his protection, as well as for the motorist, who is required to have both.

Alison McKinlay

Victoria