I am all for wearing a helmet, and am 99% sure that I am for a mandatory helmet law. Saskatoon seems to be stuck in the past when it come to cycling. We have the sarcastic arguments like; "Yet, I hear no call for a law that requires pedestrians to wear CSA-approved helmets" and those who feel like it is just a token step, "The danger of the helmet law is that council then will be content to wash its hands of the issue instead of doing what it really takes to ensure Saskatoon becomes a bicycle-friendly city", instead of what really needs to be done.
I feel like the fact that the city has a cycling bylaw before city council is a big step for Saskatoon. Is it the most important factor for making Saskatoon bike friendly? Maybe not, but it is a step none the less. We currently have bylaws (#6884) which require the use of a bell, a front head light after dark, and allow no riding on sidewalks at all, even for small children. I do not here any one complaining about how the police have had trouble enforcing these bylaws. They do enforce them too. I have met many people who have been ticketed. There seems to be no problem with the police contacting parents. It is just the same if a child steals something from a store, the police have ways of contacting their parents.
Cyclists in Saskatoon, or any other city will never be able to agree on what the best way to regulate it is. Because every cyclist is different, has a different style of riding, and there will always be those that break the law. But why should cyclist feel that they are above the law and that laws should not apply to them?