Bicycle-safety petitions not reported

To the editor:I'm curious why the article on Monday's Cape Girardeau City Council meeting failed to mention the proposal I made regarding bicycle safety. You covered the items before and after -- the park board and the traffic-light issues -- but said nothing about the petitions I presented with over 850 signatures asking the council to improve bicycle safety throughout Cape Girardeau.

You might have noted that Mayor Jay Knudtson tabled our proposal out-of-hand without asking the council members or audience in the packed council chamber for comments or discussion. You also did not report the mayor's comment comparing bicycle riders to cult members.

One might wonder what the purpose of the city council is if not to hear and consider the just concerns of all of its citizens. There were at least 25 supporters of the bicycle-safety initiative in attendance, though none was given a chance to comment on the issue.

One might also wonder about a newspaper account of a public meeting that omits a request by over 850 residents for citywide traffice safety but includes several paragraphs concerning a single traffic light. Whether the bicycle-safety proposal generated a vote of not, it was a significant part of the proceedings that went unreported in your newspaper.

CHRIS MOORE, Cape Girardeau