EDITOR,
It can truly be said that it is the few nasty folks that we encounter in our life's circles that can often ruin it for the rest almost, that is. We had a great weekend of riding and this nasty experience is just one more tack up on the wall of similar events when one rides up or down the backroads of Squamish. This past weekend, as with quite a few others this past season, we encountered yet another speedster driving super fast down the forest service road, almost running me over as I crossed the road on my bike, and then swerving purposely to try to run over my dog. This particular incident happened near the end of the paved road just up from Quest University, right in front of the newly built apartments with their family and kids on the side of the road. Was it a local Ring Creek resident? Was it another cyclist? Was it just some angry-hearted person out to put fear into everyone he encounters? Well, what if he HAD run me or my dog over?And indeed,we can identify that it was a driver of a dark green Subaru Forester.
Worse than ever before, there is hardly a weekend where a yahoo is not speeding down and nearly careening off the road or kicking rocks and dust on cyclists riding up or down this particular service road. Countless bikers use this road to get up to the trails. Why can't a car slow down for a few seconds until they pass the bikers? Is it that onerous to drive at legal speeds, or to slow down for a few feet until the cyclists have passed? A friend was yelled at by another speedster last week that the Ring Creek Road is a highway and to get off the road. Is that really true?
Squamish is supposed to be "the outdoor recreation capital of Canada." This is not the kind of behaviour that we want out-of-town visitors to experience when riding around the back roads to access our awesome trails. We have world-class athletes training here. Is this the message we want to send? Do we want to send a message as a community that we'll keep tolerating this behaviour and "brushing it under the carpet?" It has become so bad this season that I, along with others, fear for our lives every time we ride up past Quest to get to the trails we love to explore. This is a pathetic way to enjoy a weekend in our awesome town.
What can be done about this? What IS being done about this?
Every cyclist I know is very much interested in working with locals and others to ensure that all trails are safe and fun. Cycling is the wave of the future of this town and of this corridor, and it is not going away. In fact, it will likely just keep increasing as one of the most accessible sports on the planet. Why not have it be a win-win for our town and its residents, and its visitors?
A resolution is needed before someone gets hurt. Let's not wait until after that happens to get us to a positive resolution.
Sandra Bicego
Squamish
