Editor:
I read with interest the column written by Chris Campbell regarding cyclists and the daily risks that they face while negotiating their way through traffic.
I do a 4k walk every day at 5 a.m. from my home, around the Lougheed Mall and back home again along Noel Drive. There is hardly a day goes by that I don't see a cyclist run a red light. Prior to entering the intersection at either Lougheed and Austin (going westbound on Lougheed) or Noel /Cameron or Noel/ Beaverbrook (going South), they do a quick right-left check and just keep on going if they do not see a car regardless of the fact that the light is red. Last Thursday two cyclists went westbound on Lougheed through a red light while I was waiting for the walk sign to cross over Austin.
I also drive into Vancouver from Burnaby two days a week for work and watch as cyclists weave in and out of traffic on Hastings and Water Streets trying to get ahead.
Rather than have the "upmost admiration for people who experience this every day and still get on a bicycle" as Chis does, I wonder why they think that they are above the law and /or are willing to risk their lives for the sake of a few seconds.
We are constantly being cautioned to share the road and be aware of cyclists and motorcyclists but in my experience, many feel they have special privileges that the rest of us who walk on foot or drive a car do not.
Linda Spruston, Burnaby
Editor's note: As I've written before, cyclists do indeed make mistakes on our local roads. The difference is that when a driver makes a mistake around a cyclist, it often leads to death or injury. As Linda's letter even says, they are risking their "own lives" whereas drivers risk the lives of people who can't defend themselves from a giant hunk of metal.
