Heads Up: Picture of Cyclists Sans Helmets Was Irresponsible

Talk about asleep at the wheel! We were stunned to see your “family” picture of alleged cyclists--none wearing helmets--on the cover of Calendar Weekend (“Cool Cruisin’,” Aug. 5).

With all the emphasis on bicycle safety, and given the coverage of the rash of “accidents” lately involving bikes and autos/vans, your cover did a grave disservice to the “ride in safety” efforts promoted by so many.

In addition, at least one of the youngsters is covered by the law requiring children below a certain age to wear helmets and clearly is not. Your Page 6 photo would have been much more appropriate, and the parents or adults on the cover are providing no proper example either. Anyway, a major disappointment.

R. WELCH

Laguna Niguel

Thanks for the article on bike trails, but neither you nor your readers should get the impression that such trails will remove bikes from the streets. Instead, they will add bikes to the streets, for the following reasons: 1) they’ll increase bicycle ridership, and 2) trail riders need to reach the trails, and some will ride.

For these reasons, such trails increase rather than decrease the obligations of government, which must provide the trails, and of motorists to show on-street consideration to bicyclists.

DON HARVEY

Orange