As we finally get an early taste of summer with a couple of heat waves already being experienced this spring, the streets and highways of the region are starting to show signs of more recreational use - in the form of increasing amounts of trash lining the roads.
Bicyclists appear to be some of the worst offenders when it comes to slovenly behaviour on our public motorways. Discarded water bottles and tire tubes can be seen in increasing amounts along the popular cycle routes of Highway 97, 3 and 3A.
It’s ironic that many of those tossing their tubes see themselves as fitness efficient environmentalists, who use pedal power rather than fossil fuels to get around. We’d be interested in hearing the excuse as to why someone could pedal down the highway with a spare tube, yet not be able to carry the dead one home after changing a flat.
What’s really scary is the number of liquor and discarded beer containers piling up in the region’s ditches. It’s enough to make one wonder if anyone is driving sober these days. Hopefully, what we are seeing is coming from the passenger seat of the vehicle.
At any rate, it’s time to grow up a bit and accept responsibility for the waste one produces, whether moving down the road or not.
Not every bike ride is a race - the actions that apply in getting from point A to point B, whether the ride is a training exercise, a commute or a leisurely cruise shouldn’t result in somebody else having to pick up your trash.