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Letters: Time to move community cycling forward

The nature and intent of public events such as the Tour de Delta does very little to forward the cause and advancement of local cycling initiatives
tour de delta
This letter writer says he was frankly, not dismayed to learn of the cancellation of the Tour de Delta, at least for this year.

Editor:

I was, frankly, not dismayed to learn of the cancellation of the Tour de Delta, at least for this year. I am also very hopeful that overall costs, both fiscal and human, will encourage much sober and considered thought and discussion before Delta ever moves to bring this event back in the future.

The nature and intent of public events such as the Tour de Delta does very little to forward the cause and advancement of local cycling initiatives. On the contrary, the argument can be made that they, in fact, hold back positive and inclusive development of our cycling community here in Delta. How so?

Drop-bar road bike cycling, generally, has two overarching reasons to exist. Fitness and competition are the, essentially, exclusive incentives. Absolutely nothing wrong with this of course; however, these inherent limitations result in a very narrow 'window' being presented to the public at large.

I believe that most of our citizenry would agree that the desired outcome should be to increase cycling uptake for all folks, for all ages and for myriad reasons from fossil fuel transitioning to engagement with nature to economic imperatives...and yes, to positive personal health objectives.

This is the reason we should prioritize safe and sensible local cycling/traffic strategies such as dedicated bike lanes and shared pathways to further encourage more bike trips and fewer car trips. Also, incentives such as bike (and e-Bike!) rebates are becoming almost commonplace in other communities across our country, and so they should. This was already a great idea - today's world makes such an initiative even more relevant and deserving of consideration. Finally, the Delta chapter of HUB Cycling has been at the forefront in cycling education and advocacy for quite some. There could be a pivotal role for this organization moving forward. 

I believe that the resources which have allowed the Tour de Delta to carry on will provide a much greater return to all Delta cyclists as well as our community at-large if they are redirected accordingly, both in 2022 and beyond. 

Tony Dales