The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

istols. If heads at r sprays. to thumb ne Waterloo nnyâ€"ante ‘d think your hat ief Ken worker , but he t away. say â€" in I am an avid cyclist, although perhaps not in the sense of professional racers and tour riders, but I have cycled in parts of Ontario, Western Canada and Europe. I greatly enjoyâ€"the freedom of hopping on my bicycle to go uptown, or for a ride in the country, whether for some good disciplined exercise, or merely for pleasure. Much as I do walking or jogging for that matter. I relish the opportunity to do so without having to don a helmet or put_ on fashionable cyclewear as is the current trend today. I do exercise judgement and caution in abiding by the laws of the road, shared with motor vehicles. It is something I learned to do when I was young. I oppose the proposed provincial | legislaâ€" tion on a matter of principal. A mandatory law forcing cyclists to wear helmets is a severe restricâ€" aie" Prosentiy: one has n enaiee S ton? a Rolatet and many choose wisely to do so. However, our choice should never be removed and dealt a I F intrmibp diniintitinntiht. anidiie hi I am absolutely appalled too at PC member Dianne Cunningham, whose bill to amend the Highway Traffic Act for mandatory cycle helmets, states that offenders would face fines close to $100. Are people in the community aware of these changes that may come about and become law? are once again assuming the right to alter the lifestyle of millions of people because that‘s what they think is good for us What will be next, mandatory bicycle licenses at a certain legal age? i2 uesn Eiss s Even Paul Hill, of the Ontario Cycling Associaâ€" tion, is slightly in leftâ€"field when he states "I won‘t ride withgut one (helmet). But most riders won‘t like it. They feel it restricts them." P The recent Ontario government‘s proposed bicycle helmet legislation, once again demonstrates how our elected Canadian government officials attempt to pass laws restricting certain personal freedoms. Transportation Minister Gilles Pouliot stated in a news conference on July 23, that ". . . we are sold on bicycle helmets. They will eventually become mandatory." To think that Pouliot will introduce a public awareness campaign to ". . . get cyclists used to the idea that they‘ll have to don helmets before going for a ride," is absolutely ridiculous! |__LETTERS Bicycle helmets and personal He misses the entire point, becatug our politicians «upmilisinignnensiicen ow it â€"intaniinil benidinine: Ahdilicnibub d Perhaps rather than waste time and money on such ridiculous motions, our government officials, in being so concerned about our general safety and health, could concentrate on passing laws restrictâ€" ing casual motor vehicles from downtown cores, pollution from unsafetied motor vehicles, polluting industries, and matters which are of much more tremendously grave concern to our health and Pouliot‘s statement that ". . . we have to at times up the ante to make ... the law of the land," absolutely puts the icing on the cake as they say. I hope other Ontarioans would up their level of self. preservation, and join and prevent our elected politicians from once again assuming too much. A friend recently told me that governments exist to pass laws, and really that is all they do. Laws are frequently made as a result of incidents in large metropolitan centres (i.e. Toronto), affecting the rest of the country. The statistical studies which show a reduction of head injuries in accidents largely involving motor vehicles, do not validate constitutâ€" ing mandatory law. I‘m sure that motor vehicle too, drive a car, and I realize the taxpayer maintains our highways. But as a taxpayer too, I, too, ride a bicycle, and wish our children certain unrestricted freedom in their lives. I wish that they wouldn‘t have to get on a bicycle with gear and equipment needed for protection largely against motorists, who are their very elders. Laws such as this are a direct infringement on our personal choice, and the same applies to many other matters in our society. A local bylaw would probably be more fitting for this matter, rather than a provincial clampâ€"down, which could be very precedent setting for the rest of Canadians, and our future generations. head injuries too could be prevented by drivers wearing helmets in addition to their seatbelts. I know too that this argument could be carried on indefintely, but the essence of freedom of choice should always be important in people‘s minds. mandatory decision, as in this case. Accidents occur, and of course, the most violent, if not all of these, involve motor vehicles. Oddly again, it seems the big motor vehicle will force society to adopt some new law. To keep the record straight, I, $00. drive a rar and I maciion yul .0 = t Tom Lemezyk Waterloo CLAY POTS CEDAR POTS 40% OFF & Col. Blue, Serbian & Hoopsi Spruce, Scots & Austrian Pine. 1541 Highland Rd. W.. Kitchener _ 745â€"9876 Open Mon.â€"Fri. 9â€"6; Sat. 9â€"5; Closed Sunday EVERGREENS up to 30% OFF as tagged White, Norway, Colorado . AERIEL & $ watERrLOO town souare 747â€"1425 Colonial Acres Plaza 746â€"5456 373 Bridge St. W. We Deliver FINAL CLEARANCE 40% t{<60% OFF ALL SUMMER MERCHANDISE WATERLOO CHRON!CLE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19. 1992 SUMMER SPECIALS CLAIBORNE YORK NURSERY Wreaths & Wall Decorations 25 % off 30% OFF Ornamental Grasses & Large Perennials &" pots reg. 295 now only PERENNIALS 5g2 i 1.99 Protect your lawn from Grubs & Chinch Bugs. Lawn Fertilizer plus Grub & Chinch Bug control 10â€"2â€"4 24.99 ty A member of