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

PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1984, WHITBY FREE PRESS blished every Wednesday whtby Voice of the County Town Michael lan Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whithy residents. by M.B.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Plione 668-6111 The Free Press Building, 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. MICHAEL KNELL Community Editor VALERIE COWEN Advertising Manager Second Class Mail Registration No. 5351 Registration No. 5351 Bike bylaw nothing more than a storm in a tea cup There's a storm In a tea cup brewing at the town hall thesedays. Last week, Whitby Town Coun- cil's operations committee heard from three citizens concerning the proposed bicycle bylaw. In response to a letter written by a local resident (who also spoke at the meeting) public works A w.*1 ws fl m 0wlt7 PB one ofOanada'a r outsanding news persoaNufes aimnanomr a11 T(NL uVa2ttR For years the argument has been advanced that west coast Canadians of Japanese extraction were interned during the Second World War because our political leaders at the time believed they were a threat to this country's security. I have never bought the security argument. I have talked to too many of the people who were interned., Some people have suggested reasonably that I wouldn't be so critical of the King government if I had any idea how worried we were about a Japanese invasion in the months which followed Pearl Harbour. Others have ranted away at me about the wily Oriental, their belief that all these Canadians they chose to refer to as Japanese were subversive, and their suspicion that most of them could hardly wait to help the Imperial Japanese forces land on these shores and put us in thumbscrews. Those last arguments, in particular, have always been long on vitriol and short on evidence. If there WERE spies among the Canadian Japanese who were interned, why were there no records? I found It hard to believe that the vast majority of those in- terned were not what they appeared to be - hard- working, thrifty, gifted people who were a welcome addition to a country founded on those very virtues. And, finally, thanks to the Freedom of Infor- mation Act, we have a paper prepared by the National Association of Japanese Canadians, replete with references to government documents of the day, which PROVES that the Canadian Japanese were NOT a security threat, and that the King government knew it. The RCMP, the Army and the Navy repeatedly told the government that the Japanese Canadians constituted not the slightest menace to national security, and that the reai threat to security was posed by a handful of west coast bigots who would be downright dangerous if they continued unchecked. The new evidence indicates that the real reason for the internment was to satisfy this vocal minority. A minority which one federal c»il ser- vant described at the time as "Nazi" and "evil." The question of compensation is not easy. For one thing, aven the econornic lasses, when one considars Inflation and forty years of interest, would ba difficult ta estimate. And it would be im- possIble ta compensate for the suffering and the psychologlcal carnage that internment created. But in a free soclety, thera should be no debate whatsoaver about a full and officiai apology for evary survivor and every descendant of Canadians who lost their rights and thair property in an unholy spas/m of bigotry. director Dick Kuwahara brought in a report recommending that bicycles be prohibited from using the sidewalks anywhere th the Town of Whitby. Under the proposai only bicycles with a wheel diameter of less than 24 inches would be allowed on the sidewalk. The measure would also prohibit many of the small bicycle-like vehicles used by handicapped persons from using the sidewalk. Frankly, we don't see this bylaw as being necessary because there does not seem to be a problem. There are few accidents reported bet- ween cyclists and pedestrians, and their numbers do not warrant the kind of action the proposed bylaw would Impose. Kuwahara hirnself doesn't seem to be convin- ced that there is a problem. In his report, he stated: "How serious a problem this is in the number of cyclists that use the sidewalks has not been determined and cannot be easily obtained." "Undoubtedly there are a number of cyclists who ride on the sidewalks but I doubt they do it ail the time. From observation it appears that they do it on streets where there is a lot of automobile traffic or where the cyclist is unsure of himself and afraid to ride on the streets." However, he pointed out that bicycles can reach a relatively high speed and it is then that they pose a danger to pedestrians. At the meeting, Allan Leighton of Fernway Cres., gave council a few suggestions that have merit. Firstly, he suggested that bicyclists be licenced in a way similiar to that used by the provincial government to licence cars. This way, the town can ensure that bicyclists are aware of the rules of the road and are aware of the need for safe cycling practices. He also urged that the at strategic locations in1 would prevent people1 bicycles lying around sidewalks. Another resident, Jacqueline Bramma of Owen Crt., suggested that the town bring in a bylaw requiring bicyclists to yield to pedestrians. She also said that council should consider prohibiting the riding of bikes in heavy pedestrian traffic areas- l.e., the downtown core. People would have to walk their bikes in such areas. It seems to this newspaper that 'these suggestions are fairly sensible ones. They provide guidelines for the use of bicycles in the town while preserving the rights of both the cyclist and the pedestrian. One problem that should be addressed is the cyclist at the intersection. How often have you come to a stop at an intersection for a red light, wait patiently for it to turn green only to have a child on a bicycle disobey the other red light driving right into your path? It is rare, indeed, that the person on the bicycle is charged. A motorist committing the same offense would be quickly charged. Licencing of cyclists would go a long way in preventing this kind of problem if the licencing process required that the cyclist be aware of the rules of the road. We would also advocate that the Durham Regional Police Force charge cyclists with traffic offenses as they do motorists. This is not a big problem. With a little care and thought, a bylaw can be written that preserves the interests of both the cycling public and the pedestrians. town erect bicycle racks the downtown core. This from just leaving their - especially on the M A i6thÀrr-ô kltL- p UtAIF rALL r OF-ioE) EôTji -r~Dt4.' c-'- r) I/~~ ~