[PRCo] The Bicycle Guy's Rant

[Ken & Tracie]

Matt,

To show you how fanatical some of these radical cyclists are, there were
pro-trolley coach people in Vancouver who wanted to join forces with the
local cyclists activists since both groups emphasized their choice of
transportation did not pollute the city.

Some of the cyclist group's leaders said they wouldn't support trolley
coaches. Why? Because the trolleys used rubber tires and people riding
bicycles in a transit mall would be inhaling the poisonous residue and
particles from the trolleys' tires as the tread wore away (I am not making
this up!!!) The cyclist group wanted streetcars because they use steel
wheels on steel rails. Never mind that both types of vehicle drops carbon
deposits from trolley shoes (remember how PAT painted the rear roof section
of the 400 series PCCs black?) Besides, getting a wheel caught in a
flangeway or taking a spill on wet rails could be far more dangerous to a
cyclist's health. Plus streetcar wheels and rails do wear out. I've ridden
the South Hills lines enough in my life to know that. Where do those metal
particles go? :-)

K.