GuelphToday received the following letter from reader Christopher Phillips in response to the previous letter from Randy Lawrence Is city council trying to deliberately cause traffic jams?
Our friend Randy is a little confused. He knows he is angry about being stuck in traffic but is unsure of the cause.
The problem is, Randy is not stuck in traffic. Randy is the traffic he complains about. This is the problem with car-centric infrastructure.
All those constant road construction problems, well, I hate to break it to you but cars are far more damaging to roads than bicycles are. Like 160,000 times more damaging according to studies.
The fake concern for cyclist safety to justify his anger is telling when he repeatedly complains that bicycle infrastructure exists.
Those poles “that prevent right on red” exist to mitigate the danger of right hooks.
Those green boxes, which are no more slippery when wet than the rest of the pavement, allow cyclists to get in front of cars when turning left, which makes them visible and safer.
He talks about “swerving to avoid kids and dogs” but complains about the speed bumps and poles used to narrow streets, slow cars and protect them.
Perhaps if Randy got out of his car and experienced riding a bicycle, he would find appreciation in the protections put in place for cyclists.
Guelph has a long way to go before we become a truly good city to cycle in – but I appreciate that our city council has recognized that car-centric infrastructure is not sustainable and is working to make our city a better place for all its citizens – not just those with a car and a need for speed.
Christopher Phillips
Guelph
