At 12:30ish on Friday, I was driving in steady traffic on Highway 102 inbound between Kearney Lake and Bayers Lake. Movement at the base of the concrete median barrier caught my attention. There was a black mother duck waddling briskly, counter to the traffic and as close to the median as she could be, with about nine tiny little ducklings in a tight row keeping up with her. Did anyone else see this determined little duck with her obedient little brood? I still see the image in my mind, and I have to totally admire this brave little being for her motherly instincts, common sense in sticking close to the median and her belief she would find a way out. My heart went out to her. —Driver, Halifax
It's not about the micro-penises
I was very interested to read Hillary Windsor's article "Why do people still hate cyclists?" (June 4). I was looking forward to some intelligent discourse on a subject that most Haligonians have to deal with almost every day, whether they are cyclist, driver or pedestrian. Imagine my surprise when I read on to find that reasons for this hatred were as follows:
1) They hate us because they have micro-penises.
2) They can't afford better rides than the "Cavalier/Cobalt/Sunfire family of cheap 'fast' domestic cars."
3) We're overwhelmed by "big-city driving," so motorists from smaller communities are unprepared to navigate along with cyclists.
This kind of one-sided, nouveau-gauche commentary is precisely what I would expect from a generation that looks every direction for blame except in the mirror where the bulk of it lies. Most of the hatred—and yes, there is plenty of it—does come from motorists. So, I found it interesting that Ms. Windsor decided to write an article about hating on cyclists, and then interviewed exactly ZERO motorists to get to the root of the problem.
I have been a courier for nine-and-a-half years, all of them in Halifax, and I've lived here all my 30 years. So the small-town thing doesn't apply to me. I wonder if it's possible the hatred stems from the flagrant disregard for the rules of the road that the vast majority of cyclists apparently have. The next cyclist I see stop at a stop sign or to let someone cross the street will be the first. I wish that was an exaggeration. It certainly isn't a "misconception" since she wondered aloud whether or not it was.
Did Hillary just round up a few of her bike buddies to have a big sad over nobody liking them for making an "environmentally conscious choice?"
I'm 100 percent in favour of bike lanes, and upgraded roadway infrastructure to accommodate bikes. I always give the one-metre berth, even if I just watched you rip through the crosswalk, missing the mother and her five-year-old by inches. If I have to wait until they're clear of the roadway before proceeding, than so do you. If I have to stop at a stop sign, then so do you. Don't believe me? Look up the Motor Vehicle Act sometime. All vehicles—motorized or pedal-powered—have to abide by the same set of rules. Like it or not. —D.H., Halifax
Paving the way for Tantallon's failure
With the proposed location for an asphalt plant west of Tantallon, Halifax Regional Council has effectively targeted the fastest growing community in Nova Scotia. The prevailing westerlies blow east. All odours and contaminants saturate the eastern portions of any community. This proposition already threatens to devalue real estate, discourage growth and erode the tax base. If the existing 600-plus dwellings become devalued by $100,000 each, property tax losses would be immediate and represent an estimated loss of approximately one million dollars every year. Growth would stagnant considerably. The east end or residential areas to the east of most cities are much less desirable and cheaper in terms of real estate. (Check out any pulp-and-paper town in the Maritimes—Saint John, Edmundston, Bathurst.) This may well be one of the most dysfunctional ideas ever incubated by municipal planners in the history of Nova Scotia. — Ted Duchene, Seabright
