Dear editor,It is encouraging to see the amount of press being given to bicycling in the Comox Valley.Environmentally friendly, inexpensive, healthy exercise…But how healthy is it to ride a bike without a helmet? It is also illegal.When is enforcement going to begin in the Comox Valley? Anyone who thinks this is a minor issue only has to stand at the corner of Ryan Road and Island Highway for just five minutes, and watch the cyclists pedalling by, helmetless.Adult cyclists, not just teens. Men. Women. One block away from the Cop Shop, no less. (Comox is not immune either.)I notice that no coverage of this issue has appeared in your newspaper recently, to my knowledge.In a spirit of public safety (and having worked in hospitals for 25 years) I propose that the City of Courtenay, the Town of Comox, the regional district, the RCMP, Vancouver Island Health Authority and interested service groups get together and start an education campaign, followed by enforcement.  Once enforcement starts, and a few warnings or even tickets issued, you’d be surprised how fast those helmets are “found” in the closet.Can’t afford a helmet? If you can afford the bike, you can afford a helmet. After all, you can’t drive a car without insurance, or ride a motorcycle on public roads without a helmet.Maybe a service group could start a helmet drive, encouraging people who have helmets they no longer use, or which don’t fit, to donate the helmets to those who don’t have one.As a recent TV ad said, “If you have wheels, you need a helmet.”J. Gould,Courtenay

Comox Valley Record