Take the Lane

More about sharing the winter roads

Arno Kilianski sent me the following response to the Fred Snider's letter to the editor at The Record (Monday's post, Guilty Motorists and winter cyclists). I thought it was worth printing in its entirety:

A letter published on Monday Jan. 28, written by Fred Snider seems to be a rather scathing attack on the practise of winter bicycling.  Now, the man's concerns are valid-- for about ten days out of the year.  The rest of the year, even in winter, road conditions are not as poor as he describes.  This morning, for instance, after reading Snider's letter, I headed to work in my compact pick-up truck.  The roads I used were perhaps a foot narrower than normal due to the snowbanks, which were not high enough to restrict visibility.  I should stress that all the roads I used were four lanes wide, so a foot total reduction is nearly insignificant.  Also, conditions were not slippery.

One of the problems of the "bicycles vs cars on our roads" debate is that some of the most vocal participants have only a narrow range of relevant experience.  I'm willing to bet that a lot of the anti-bicycling voices come from people who have never relied on a bicycle for personal transportation in a sprawling Canadian city with Canadian climate.  Conversely, I wonder how many of the more militant fringe of bicycle advocates have never owned or driven a car or other motor vehicle.  (Of course, I consider myself sublimely enlightened, given that I've driven cars, light trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles--both upright and recumbent--on local roads...).

Anyways, let's remember that ( Sorry, but I can't cite a source for this statistic) in the majority of injury collisions involving a bicycle, the bicyclist is at least partly at fault, and sharpen our skills accordingly.
 

P.S.: It's the hallmark of a small mind to consistently greet the unfamiliar with ridicule and derision.  This, I'm convinced, is a major factor in many public debates, including the "bicycles vs. cars" debate.

Name Toronto's new bicycling magazine

You can particiapte in the naming of Toronto's new bicycling magazine by dropping in at spacingToronto at http://spacing.ca/wire/?p=2698#comment-153738
The hundreds of submitted names have been winnowed to a list of 11. Vote on your favourite and leave a comment if you wish.

Will the new bridge be cyclist-friendly?

The plans have been unveiled for the first new bridge to cross the Grand River in 45 years, and the design looks pretty bicycle-friendly. Not only will there be an on-road bicycle lane, there will be a separated bicycle lane for cyclists uneasy with sharing the road with traffic. Two bike lanes.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that this improvement, and others, have added $11 million to the cost of the project, which now tips the scales at $55 million, and some of the local politicians are making those "do we really need a Cadillac bridge" noises. I worry that some of the improvements will get the axe.
You can read the article in today's Record at http://news.therecord.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/301521.
If you live in Cambridge and favour a bridge that makes cycling between Kitchener and Cambridge easier, you might drop Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig a line  mayor@city.cambridge.on.ca.
You might mention how cycle-commuting will ease overall traffic congestion and improve the health of its citizens.

Guilty motorists and winter cyclists

Oh, there's a humdinger of a letter to the editor in The Record today. You can open your paper to page A6 or check this link http://news.therecord.com/Opinions/article/301210
The substance of the letter, from Fred Snider of Kitchener, is that cyclists should stay off the road in the winter. Those who don't are, apparently, stupid and idiotic.
I esp. liked the bit about ". . .how about the poor driver who runs over them? The driver is going to feel guilty when they shouldn't -- not to mention being made late. . ."
Please, please, please, if you are a winter cyclist, stop throwing yourself under the wheels of cars in Kitchener, Waterloo or Cambridge. We can't have motorists feeling guilty for hitting us, and we certainly can't have motorists being late just because we get underfoot (or is that underwheel?).

Eden Mills bicycle trail

Eden Mills is probably better known to people in Southern Ontario as the home of the annual Eden Mills Writers' Festival, but the little village wants also to be known as North America's first carbon neutral village.
The community of 350 people is embarking on a green future, with plans to first itemize how much energy they use, and then tackle how to reduce or offset it.
Part of the plans include a bicycle trail from Eden Mills to nearby Rockwood, so school children can ride their bicycles rather than take the school bus.
And just how retro is that? I hate to sound like an old guy, but I rode my bicycle to school, and it was just a given that I would.
It was fun. It was free. You weren't cooped up in a bus with some kid spitting down the back of your jacket or some harried bus driver telling everyone to sit down. How did we get away from kids getting to school on their own and get to the point of packing them in yellow sardine cans?
Anyway, I'm all in favour of the bicycle trail. A greener future will undoubtedly be achieved through grassroots efforts like this.

About cycling and mortality

When I wrote about winter cycling a couple of weeks ago in my column for The Record, I mentioned that winter cyclists are often asked the same questions, including: "Aren't you afraid of getting killed?"
I wrote that I think about that every day -- winter or summer -- that I ride.
It's odd how you don't think about your mortality when you're driving. You're wrapped up in that metal womb, hurtling down the road at speeds two times, three times, six times faster than what you normally do on a bicycle, and all you're thinking about is how the reception on the radio is crummy today or will you make the doctor's appointment in time or  is that guy going to cut me off?
On a bicycle, you are much more aware of the dangers of the road ahead: The motorist on the cellphone, does he see me? Is there a pothole under that puddle?  Is this guy going to wait for me to pass or is he going to turn now?
I don't spend my entire ride praying, but I think about my safety. I take a certain pride in being visible, conscious of my surroundings and alert to the conditions ahead.
Stuff happens on the road.
A few times, my heart has missed a beat and I've clenched the handlebars extra tight and whispered a silent thank you, or mouthed an obscenity. My spouse, on hearing some of my close-call stories, has made me promise not to use certain roads at peak traffic times.
So, yeah, I'm afraid of being killed. I don't intend that to happen, but I think about it, a little, every day I ride. I hope that thinking about it will keep me alert enough that it will never happen.

I love N.Y. (for its big bike ideas)

Ya gotta give New Yorkers credit for thinking big.
According to the New York Times, a group of biz types are looking for a bicycle-minded investor to come up with the $200,000 a year needed to run what they hope will be the biggest and best bicycle parking lot in America.
A New York developer (Stonehenge Management) has offered a 2,600 square foot lot in midtown Manhattan, on West 33rd Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues. The lot, complete with attendant, would initially handle 100 bikes, with expansion later.
There'd be a monthly fee for regular commuters, and free spots for the short-term visitors to the immediate area. (Obviously aimed at the shopping crowd.)
While the biz types look for their investor, the City of New York keeps installing sidewalk bike racks. Last year, it added 800, for a citywide total of 4,000 -- which can handle about 20,000 bikes.
Still, bike theft is a major problem in New York, and until there are covered bike parking lots or lots with attendants, many riders will be discouraged from using their bikes for transportation.

First dead cyclist in 2008

Last year, I tracked the dead cyclists in Ontario, calling them Died on a Ride.
It was a frustrating exercise to pry information out of the media and local police agencies. A lot of police work is about filling out forms, and if your question doesn't match what's on the form, you may never get the answer. Was the rider wearing bright colours? Was the rider experienced? Charges are often not laid because of a lack of evidence or an unlikelihood of a conviction.
Anyway, the first fatality of this year happened on the weekend in London.
Canadian Press reported that George Mulholland, 48, was killed Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. when he was struck by a Via Rail passenger train at a downtown rail crossing. Police said the lights and barrier were working, so, presumably, he may have ridden around the barrier to cross ahead of the train.
I don't have any more info than this. Why was the guy in the crossing? If I learn any more, I'll pass it on.

All bikes weigh 50 pounds

I like this little bit of wisdom from the IceBike listserv:

All Bikes Weigh 50 Pounds

30 pound bikes require a 20 pound lock.
40 pound bikes require a 10 pound lock.
50 pound bikes don't need a lock!

Author Unknown...

My only addition to this would be: 20 pound bikes require no lock, because you don't dare leave them anywhere!

More about winter bicycling

Is there more buzz about winter cycling this year, or am I just seeing it more?
It helped to have some of the mainstream media pick up on Stephen Regenold's Gear Junkie column.
You can read the original at http://thegearjunkie.com/winter-bike-commuting-10-tips-to-ride-safe
I wear a couple of hats at The Record, one of them being a weekly columnist in the Saturday etc. section.
This week, I wrote about winter cycling, which you can read at http://news.therecord.com/Life/article/294216
Follow the simple steps, and you'll be leaving your car behind and breathing fresh, crisp air.
And trying to convince your co-workers that you're not crazy.