Streets are for sharing

Stan Wright’s letter, “Two-wheeled trouble” (June 19), highlights an attitude that must change. As citizens, we all have the right to travel the public roads by any legal means we choose. A bicycle is a legal vehicle in all 50 states. The right to bicycle on public roads is grounded in constitutional law and international treaty.

We will all be safer when we respect each other’s right to the road.

Automobiles don’t have rights. Bicycles don’t have rights. People do.

Forget the vehicle, respect your fellow citizens, and we’ll all get to our destinations safely.

The taxes and license fee issue is a red herring. They pay a small portion of the cost to construct and maintain roads. The cost of those roads is largely paid by property and sales taxes. Cyclists pay those taxes, too. And most have automobiles, so they also pay the same fees.

But more to the point, those fees don’t give motorists any priority or extra rights. Remember, although traveling the pubic roads is a right, driving a motor vehicle on them is a privilege. If the fees and licensing requirements are a concern, then pick a mode of transportation that doesn’t require them.

Share the road. It is not yours. It is ours, collectively.

Marc Mims

Veradale