EDITORIAL – It’s time to crack down on those frenetic little guys on bicycles
An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
A SEEMINGLY MINOR INCIDENT tucked at the bottom of this week’s Kamloops RCMP summary of calls resulted in some interesting reaction from Armchair Mayor readers.
The case involved a cyclist failing to stop at a red light on Tranquille Road early one morning. A police officer who was on patrol saw that the man had no helmet and that there were no lights on the bike.
So, he pulled the guy over, found he was breaking a court-ordered curfew, and arrested him.
This, as I say, created some observations about men on bikes in our community. I’m not talking about your everyday legitimate cyclists, of course. The issue is with those frenetic little guys who buzz about town all day long, zipping across streets between vehicles and whizzing through traffic or down sidewalks with no regard for anyone else and their safety.
It would be unfair to make judgments based on the way they look or dress, or to speculate about what sorts of errands they’re on (maybe they’re making Skip deliveries for all we know), or about how it is they can afford such nice bicycles.
Let’s assume they’ve worked hard and saved up until they have the necessary funds for the purchase. Maybe they ride around so fast because they’re getting exercise or are just in a big hurry to get somewhere.
But what’s not in question is that their nonchalance is dangerous to pedestrians, drivers and themselves. Maybe it’s time to do something about it.
Maybe there should be more on-the-ball vigilance of the kind shown by the officer who arrested the guy on Tranquille Road. I’m not saying police should start stopping cyclists without cause, but how about pulling over a lot more of the ones without proper lights for night-time travel, or who don’t have helmets, or who are riding dangerously.
Fine them or, better yet, take their bikes away. It would make things safer all-round.
I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.
Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
All the more reason we should be investigating the benefits/negatives of a local police force which is under direct control locally. RCMP for the most part take their marching orders from Ottawa, with limited influence locally. More than 40% of the province’s population from 13 communities, of which 8 are smaller cities than Kamloops, have local policing rather than RCMP. We should be talking to these cities as to why they’ve made the change and how it’s working in their communities.
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No sense taking their bikes away, they will just steal (borrow on a non returning basis) another one from somebody else. And heaven forbid they follow rules. They are entitled, don’t ya know, to do whatever they want. Can’t have lights, they don’t want anyone to know what nefarious mission they may be on or what they are delivering or picking up. They could be even off to meet some of those folks in the vehicles with tinted windows to get “supplies”.
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We sure should do something about those frenetic little people on bicycles who show total disregard for others’ safety.
But more importantly we should do something about those frenetic little people driving large vehicles often with modified exhaust systems and blackened windows speeding and oftentimes driving while talking on their personal communications devices.
Who are you trying to kid dear MR?
Who should we really start to pull over first?
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