Gazette: blame cyclists

Sep 23, 2011

Gazette: blame cyclists

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A letter the Montreal Gazette refused to publish

When two Montreal cyclists were killed by internal-combustion engine vehicles last week there were two obvious responses to this tragedy: blame bike riders or question the ongoing prioritization of the most costly, unhealthy and ecology destructive form of transport. Unfortunately, the Gazette has mostly chosen the former, giving its pages to a call for mandatory helmets to protect cyclists. From what? Fossil-fueled vehicles, of course. But, why stop there? Shouldn’t bike riders be made to wear face masks to save them from the many illnesses tied to automobile pollutants? Heck, why not tax human propelled transport to fight the effects of car-induced global warming or maybe the authorities ought to make cyclists spend a couple hours a week beautifying the many urban spaces automotive infrastructure has destroyed.

 

Yves Engler is the co-author of Stop Signs: cars and capitalism on the road to economic, social and ecological decay