Dear WestView:
It is disheartening to read opinions from bike advocates (Dear Bike Lane Complainers/14th Street, WestView News April 2019) who preach from their moral high ground. Car ownership is “indulgent/gas-guzzling,” etc. “The Village was never meant for private car ownership…” Really? So let me understand this. People who pay taxes, permits, registrations, fees, etc., and many who pay very high property taxes on top of that, really have no right to choose how they live? The alternative offered is riding a bike, even if you can’t or don’t want to, or take public transportation, which FYI is breaking down more and more, and often shuts down on weekends. How about protesting that reality?
I have my own suggestion.
Since bikes have become so prevalent and so much street parking has been lost to bike lanes/ bike stands, bikers should pay a registration fee and have insurance to ride bikes, just like car owners. They also should have to pass a test and get licensed before riding a heavy, unwieldy bike. Many bikers clearly are not in control and pose a danger to pedestrians.
Most importantly, bikers should obey the law, which many don’t with impunity (where is the study of how many pedestrians are hurt—badly—by bikes?). This is all in the spirit of non-judgmental opinion of course…
—Anonymous
