Bicyclists have rights, too

To the editor:

I hear a lot of complaints about bicyclers. I hear how they don't have respect for the road and how they should pay a road tax.

In most cities bikes aren't allowed on the sidewalks, and by local opinion, bicyclers shouldn't ride in the streets. Where are they supposed to ride? When I ride my bike on the road I stop at every stop sign just like I was driving a car. But, according to the letter, 'Some bicyclists do not obey the rules” on June 30, bicyclers shouldn't be holding up traffic even if they are following road rules. That is unfair.

In response to the road tax they should be paying: that's ridiculous. First, most bicycle riders do pay a road tax every time they fill up their cars with gas. Second, bikes weigh significantly less than motorized vehicles. Bicycle riders cause almost no damage to roads. Where would their road tax be used? The bike trails?

I frequent the Cedar Valley Trail every week. Most of it is paved, but as you get to Center Point heading north none of it is paved and it is not maintained. I was riding the trail recently and I went through sand pits, mud puddles and potholes. And in Iowa bicycling is a seasonal sport so the trails aren't even used for one-quarter of the year. Why should we have to pay a road tax? Bicyclists do have rights. Share the road and let's get along.

Matthew Griggs

Marion