Dear editor:

My husband and I are taxpaying seniors who take walks most days for our physical and mental well-being.  We live near Niagara Stone Road and Four Mile Creek. 

There are several bike rental companies near us. This summer many, if not most, of the cyclists have been considerate and are using the bike lanes provided. These bike lanes are wider than the sidewalk.  Some politely warn us that they are approaching and don’t force us off the sidewalk.

Today, however, was very upsetting. Not only did the group of twentysomethings take over the sidewalk, forcing us to move aside, but one young man came charging up behind us after passing, screeched his bike, circled us with the bike and threatened us. 

Shortly after that a large bike tour came up behind us and asked us to step aside for a large group of cyclists who easily could have ridden around us on the edge of Gales parking lot. At least the tour guide was polite but I don’t believe he should have expected us to move out of their way. 

The SIDEWALK is just that, a place to walk. Bicycles are vehicles and should be on the road.

I would like to request that owners of bicycle rental companies ask their patrons to be considerate of others when they rent them their bikes.

Many like to and need to go for walks. Niagara Stone Road is a busy thoroughfare but it has lovely, wide bike lanes (wider than the sidewalks) on both sides from Four Mile Creek past the school. I would also like to request that tour guides set an example of courtesy and consideration. 

We previously enjoyed walking along the river on the pathway but have found cyclists rushing up behind us and not ringing a bell or calling out to warn of us of their presence.

It's too frightening so we have yielded that option to the cyclists. Hopefully we don’t have to yield walking from our home to the park as well. It would be nice to see some of the town's bylaw enforcement officers checking up on the cyclists, especially after they have visited a few wineries.

Anita Miller
Virgil