"People have the right to ride their bikes in winter. It doesn’t matter if you think they are nuts, you need to respect that right. Watch for them. And for the City of Winnipeg, clear the damn cycling paths! They are not where you put the snowbanks from ploughing."
By Shauna Dobbie
I don’t cycle. I can cycle and I have a bike, but the poor thing doesn’t see the road very often. And that’s because I’m terrified.
But I have great respect for cyclists, and respect is what they need more of, particularly in Winnipeg.
I know that many of you readers are clenching your fists right now, ready to talk about how slow your commute is even without bikes and now they want to take up a lane of traffic. Or about how you used to park right in front of your favourite shop and now the street parking there has been turned into a bike lane. Or about how a cyclist was talking on their cell phone and swerved out into traffic. We’ll get to that.
First, let’s talk about why anyone would want to ride a bike.
If you only rode as a kid, think back to that time. Can you remember the sense of empowerment and freedom you had on your bike? You couldn’t drive a car, but once you became proficient on two wheels, nobody was going to tell you where you could go or when to be back, except maybe the streetlights coming on. The world was your oyster! At least between April and October.
Riding as an adult can still come with that sense of empowerment. It’s not just about being able to explore new places but about getting anywhere under your own steam. It doesn’t matter if you have gas money or if the bus breaks down or if your buddy wants to swing by your place to pick you up, if you have a bike and an able body, you can go places.
Cycling connects you to your physical surroundings too. There’s a difference between pumping your way down the street with your heart rate up and shivering in your car while waiting for the heat to kick in or being stuck through two or three lights at an intersection. You can hear the traffic, you can see the cracks in the road, you know that the city is alive and that you are part of it. And you are getting in your exercise as well.
Some people like cycling so much (or rely on free transportation so much) that they’ll do it through the winter. It sounded crazy a few years ago, but more people are doing it. You can get winter tires and winter brake pads for your bike to make the ride smoother. You need to learn to ride a bike on snowy streets just like you need to learn to drive a car.
This is where the respect I mentioned comes in.
People have the right to ride their bikes in winter. It doesn’t matter if you think they are nuts, you need to respect that right. Watch for them. And for the City of Winnipeg, clear the damn cycling paths! They are not where you put the snowbanks from ploughing.
You are responsible when driving for shoulder-checking before you turn right, winter, spring, summer and fall. Don’t race to make a right turn before a bike can catch up to you and pass you on the right. Don’t splash through huge puddles with abandon, not caring who might get drenched. Don’t open your car door without looking behind you. Think of cyclists as other drivers on the road who deserve your care and attention.
Okay, now for the fist-clenchers.
Cities grow and change. Sometimes it takes a little longer to drive down a street than it used to. This could be because new housing has been added along the way, making more traffic, or it could be because bike lanes have been added. It’s the same with street parking. You used to be able to park in an area and now you can’t? Find a new spot to park in. Maybe you’ll have to walk half a block. There are worse things.
And finally, for the countless people who write to the Free Press about cyclists on cell phones… maybe you’ve seen such a thing. I haven’t, but if I did, I wouldn’t be any more surprised than I am when I see someone driving while on their phone. And I see that regularly.
