Editorials / Opinion

Cyclists should pay nominal license fee

John Pucher, famed Rutgers professor and scholar of bike safety and bikeable cities, rides down Dexter Ave. N. with Robin Randels of Seattle during a recent visit to Seattle. [Ellen M. Banner, The Seattle Times.]

So, Seattle streets are not safe for cyclists. [“Worse than Manhattan?” page one, June 26.]

This, despite our mayor, who is an avid cyclist himself, is supported by the Cascade Bicycle Club and who hired its former advocacy director to work with the Department of Transportation, to the tune of $95,000 a year.

This certainly has to count as another failure of our mayor-in-training.

He might have garnered more general and enthusiastic support for cycling as a serious transportation mode in Seattle if he had pushed for all cyclists to pay a nominal license fee. Although this would only be a fraction of the costs required for more safety measures, as in many other aspects of the community, this would signal that we’re all in it together.

Paul Gutowski, Seattle

Bike expert was not riding safely

I noticed the picture used for this story on bicycle safety shows the Rutgers professor (”and scholar of bike safety”) and his friend riding two abreast in the bike lane down Dexter Avenue North.

I don’t think bike lanes are designed to safely accommodate two riders in such a manner.

Neil Marck, Bainbridge Island