The highways ministry has done some great things towards improving the safety of cyclists by providing some wider areas on the public roadways.

But there is a serious question of why near the Sunnyside trailer park the road shoulder becomes loose gravel. This for safety must be graded smooth and should be sealed with asphalt-type hardening materials which will serve two purposes: better safety for cyclists and prevention from the water entering the road surface under the blacktop.

Currently an unsuspecting cyclist can ride off a smooth paved shoulder and enter a gravel section with a pothole large enough to make the bike lose control and the rider could wind up underneath the wheels of a passing tractor trailer.

The highways ministry has the responsibility to maintain the road shoulder to the ditch line and if there is a service road still has the responsibility for the total width of road and shoulder up to the property owner’s connecting property.

R. Johnson, Nelson