Here is the title to an editorial that appeared in the Daily Local News of Chester County, PA - "Bad cyclists aside, bike initiative is an excellent idea." Ellen Zadoff, chairperson of the Chester County Bicycle Coalition is trying to make West Chester, PA a more bike friendly town. Yet our esteemed local newspaper editor takes that opportunity to use something good about biking and turn it into something bad. Ellen wants to make our community safe for cyclists. She wants some bike racks and some safety initiatives in our boro. Good for you Ellen.
The Daily Local editor posts an editorial that spends half of its content on bad cyclists. Gimme a break. Here is my letter I immediately sent to the editor. Feel free to send him more. His name and email is Editor, Andrew M. Hachadorian, 610-430-1116, (e-mail)
Editor
Just loved the editorial, really, just kidding.
Please show me all the cars that stop at stop signs in the boro of West Chester. I live near 3 boro stop signs; corner of E Virginia and N Matlack, intersection of E Marshall and N Matlack and three way stop at E Vriginia and N Franklin. I cannot count how many cars run the stop signs on E Virginia Ave and I often see cars bombing through the stop sign on E Marshall. Before you start bashing cyclists let's all take a hard look at all the automobile abuses in the boro. When was the last time you were able to drive down E Gay street and not have to dodge all the illegally double parked trucks? When was the last time you saw a car actually come to complete stop at a stop sign in the boro? When was the last time you were able to park and unload in an loading/unloading only space?
I seriously doubt anyone is going to be killed if a bike does not come to a complete stop at a stop sign. Cars weigh tons and can kill. Bikes weigh less than 50 pounds and cannot kill. Good friends of mine, both over the age of 65, were biking on a tandem bike. They were hit by a car and left unconscious on the road. Where is the outrage in your editorial for this kind of behavior?
Bashing cyclists is the easiest thing for uninformed editors to do. It creates a big huge surge in angry comments from all the drivers in the boro. How easy to bash a cyclist on the road? I bike all over the county. I do my utmost to avoid awful motorists. Yet cars will go out of their way to buzz me close. I even had a car go over the white line at the edge of the road to buzz me even closer.
My son was just in Amsterdam. He said the cyclist is king in that country. Cyclists have their own roads and never have to interact with cars. Until this happens in America, the cars have to share the road with cyclists. The day that a car goes out if its way to be nice to me on my bike, is a day I am still waiting for.
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Libby Maxim
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