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LETTER: Cyclists don’t deserve abuse

Reader David Paetkau: "I’d love to see some public discussion of why it’s okay to hate someone just for having a slower vehicle."
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I’m a long-term daily cyclist who has grown concerned by the air of hatred and aggression drivers are now showing to bikes. I realize I hold minority views here, but I came across this anonymous quote on the drivesmartBC website, and it’s nothing short of hate speech:

“Most cyclists cannot keep up with the flow of traffic which is usually at least twice as fast. They become dangerous obstacles like a dog wandering aimlessly on the highway. Eventually the dog gets run over or removed from the roadway by someone who has common sense and realizes it doesn’t belong there!”

I don’t think we as a society would tolerate this type of hate being aired on a public safety website if it was directed at other groups. Try removing the word ‘cyclists’ and insert ‘Jews’, ‘blacks’, ‘gays.’ You get the idea. I’d love to see some public discussion of why it’s okay to hate someone just for having a slower vehicle.

David Paetkau

Nelson