This column is written as imaginary correspondence between Byron the Bicyclist and Maddie the Motorist
Dear Byron the Bicyclist.
You travelled to Vancouver Island and Ontario in the spring. How was cycling in those places?
Signed; Maddie the Motorist
Dear Maddie.
Yes, I did. In May, we travelled to Victoria and the Duncan area experiencing three major multi-use pathways, all former rail right of ways. The Galloping Goose was our favourite from near downtown Victoria north. We went 11 kilometres with ebikes our motel lent us; it was great!
In Ontario, I travelled to and through six cities. They were Guelph, Leamington, St. Thomas, Burlington, Hamilton and Toronto. All six cities have dedicated bike lanes. The smallest, Leamington, is best known as the town where Heinz Ketchup used to be made. It has many greenhouses employing migrant labourers who cannot afford vehicles, so these people often ride bicycles to get around.
Guelph, Ontario is a university city. Many of its bike routes are located on quiet residential streets parallel to and not far from major arterial roads. One of these routes is the street my brother and his family live. Near schools, traffic calming measures include narrowed intersections using pylons, mini traffic islands, speed bumps and slower speeds.
Then there was Toronto. The city's current claim to fame is being the most congested city in North America. (www.tomtom.com/traffic-index/ranking/) Why? Too many people driving instead of cycling or using transit. Subway ridership is less than when I lived there in the 1970s. Yet, my brother-in-law and I biked from their place in East York to downtown Toronto in just 30 minutes. I felt totally safe. Why? Physically separated bike lanes. Advance green traffic lights for cyclists and pedestrians. Right turns on red were not permitted where cyclists and pedestrians outnumber vehicles.
Here in Williams Lake, it doesn’t feel as safe for cyclists and pedestrians. Can we fix it?
Signed; Byron the Bicyclist
Bert Groenenberg is a pedestrian, cyclist and motorist.
