To the editor,
Re: Put safety first in solutions along the highway in Nanoose Bay, Letters, April 9.
I wish to add my own concerns for safety riding the Island Highway on bicycle from Lantzville to Nanoose. There is no viable alternative other than a very long and convoluted gravel ride on logging roads. Cyclists must ride on the shoulder which in places is narrow, is often poorly swept so at times there is dangerous debris. There is also the aforementioned congestion of parked cars on the shoulder which forces cyclists to take the lane. This is a dangerous scenario as vehicle traffic is fast-moving and almost constant in this area.
The sad fact is that there is a viable alternative just off the highway with an unused rail right of way. This line has already been returned to the local First Nation and it is about time that a safe recreational corridor be built along this stretch to allow cyclists and pedestrians safe passage without conflicting the heavy and fast-moving vehicle traffic.
Peter Vivian, Victoria
The views and opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the writer and do not reflect the views of simplymastery or the Nanaimo News Bulletin.
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