The more comprehensive and thorough your bike infrastructure is the more people choose to bike. In Montreal, where I lived for several years, streets without bike lanes are rare and biking is extremely common, even in the winter. Kitchener's bike infrastructure leaves a lot of room for improvement. Paths that do exist often end abruptly or force you into weird spots to cross the street. Getting through the Ottawa/Homer Watson roundabout on a bike without dying feels like an accomplishment. The other day I rode my bike in the pedestrian crossing there to increase my visibility and had someone angrily yell, "Pedestrians!" at me, gesturing to a sign that says Yield to Pedestrians as if somehow riding my two wheels forfeited my right to not be struck by a car. Biking can be high stakes because death or serious injury is often the result when a car hits a cyclist. What's more is that more bikes means fewer cars, as people exchange their four wheels for two. So I respectfully disagree with letter writer Fred Snider. Bike lanes are not a waste of money. They save lives and they take cars off the road which is a win for everyone.