Mark Lansing

Camas-Washougal Post Record

425 N.E. 4th Avenue

Camas, Washington 98607-2129



Dear Editor:



I caught wind of a letter appearing in your newspaper, which suggested that

bicycles should be banned from Washougal River Road. This is a ridiculous

idea that must be rejected.



If motorists are endangering cyclists out there, then it is those motorists

that need to be taken out of the traffic pattern. Bicycles have an equal

right to use public pavement. They are like any other slow moving

vehicle?motorists need to wait until it is safe to pass, then do so without

putting the cyclists at risk. That is the law.



And that law should not be changed. Bicyclists engage in a health-giving,

non-polluting and non-consumptive form of transportation that should be

encouraged as a matter of social policy. Some bicyclists ride unsafely,

which is a separate issue. If it is impossible for bicyclists generally to

use Washougal River Road safely, as the letter writer suggests, then I can

only conclude that some of your motorists need lessons in proper care and

courtesy toward them.



Yours,

Mark Lansing