Letter: Sudbury backwards when it comes to cycling

One morning last week, someone was speaking about safe bicycling and rules of the road. Interesting, it costs $80 for a course that should not be needed by anyone with a healthy brain.

She did use a term that I have always liked — “take the lane.” I got my first bicycle when I was 10 years of age. At that time, my father had to buy me a licence which was put on the back fender in clear display.

At that tender age, I understood by instinct I should “take the lane” when driving in downtown Sudbury, and the cars had to go around. Today, with much faster, multi-speed bikes, lane usage should be no issue.

As for the consciousness of car drivers, for the most part they are “not conscious,” to quote my old buddy Dave who uses that expression to cover so many idiocies in our society (the whole continent?).

Also, when Sudbury did all that infrastructure stuff just a few short years ago, why no bike lanes?

As in too many issues, we are decades behind the rest of the planet. As friends have heard me say “it’s the flouride” that makes people stupid.

As nice a country as Canada is, we are sadly lacking in real leadership on many issues, at all levels of our society.

ET Hermikari
Sudbury