Okay Halifax, before I get slammed for this, just let me tell you first… I believe in sharing the road with cyclists as much as anyone out there, I really do….BUT!!!…it’s not just the people driving cars who need to be responsible motorists.
I don’t know how many times I’ve witnessed cyclists up on the sidewalks, nearly running pedestrians (including me) down, then careening back onto the street without so much as a sideways glance, swerving between cars, not waiting for a car to complete a right hand turn in progress before proceeding past the car, etc.
I also don’t think it’s fair or just that cyclists sharing the road are not licensed and insured. I’ve had damage done to my vehicle and have had no way to seek compensation because telling the police, “…some guy on a red mountain bike wearing a blue jacket dented my car when he bumped into it while texting and then just took off…” just doesn’t cut it. I was stuck with a huge repair bill through no fault of my own. Bicycles should have license plates and the people riding them should have insurance, just like other vehicles if they want to share the road. —Long time former cyclist
This article appears in Aug 25-31, 2016.
You won’t get slammed by me. Very reasonable bitch OP. Insured bicyclists? For me, that’s almost a no brainer.
If you did a comparison count, there’s far less ‘bad’ cyclists than ‘bad’ drivers.
I scream like a banshee at sidewalk-riding cyclists. Feels so good. Like back scratching against a tree trunk good.
I agree 100%. I have no issue with the cyclists that obey the rules of the road but those that think they can have both the rights of a pedestrian and a motor vehicle drive me nuts. I will admit though when I ride my bike with my 9 year old, we’re both on the side walk.
All pedestrians and cyclists are entitled twats, and I’m the only person on the road that knows how to drive.
Stop generalizing.
If insuring cyclists is such a no-brainer, how come there is literally no city, state, province, or other jurisdiction that does it?
Licensing people who use bikes is not a viable option. It has been found time and again to cost more to administer than would be generated in revenue, e.g., a bike licensing scheme in Ottawa was estimated to cost $100k while only generating $40k. The more pertinent issue is that “sharing the road” is inherently inequitable when one of the “sharers” is in a car and the other is on a bicycle or on foot. This is nicely explained here: https://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/sharing-the-road/
Rather than sharing roads that are not designed for multiple modes of transit, we need to better design our public spaces to promote safer walking and cycling. There is nothing fair about cars occupying 70% of public space on average: http://www.sustainablecitiescollective.com/wricities/1075196/three-ways-public-spaces-can-make-cities-more-vibrant
And there are strong economic, environmental and health benefits for promoting walking and cycling over car use, for example: https://www.itdp.org/a-global-high-shift-cycling-scenario/
If we consider the full economic cost of driving versus cycling, people who drive should in fact be paying a lot more than they currently do: https://www.fastcoexist.com/3046345/how-copenhagen-became-a-cycling-paradise-by-considering-the-full-cost-of-cars?utm_source=facebook
So, rather than perpetuating myths and creating further conflict between people who cycle or walk, and people who drive cars (when the reality is that many of us do all three), how about we consider the bigger picture here? A vibrant Halifax that promotes healthy, sustainable and economically viable transit system to reduce our reliance on cars?
Stay off the sidewalks bikes.
Those are for teenage drivers…
Where I lived in the 60’s in Ontario the cyclists had a license plate because they had to register their bicycles. That makes too much sense for the likes of this city I’m afraid. Too many stupid people in charge.
When a modern city like Calgary is created, the community boulevards(36 ST NE,52 ST NE, 68 ST NE, etc) are built with a shared cycling/walking trail that is separated from the motor vehicle traffic.
So, even though you haligonians are correct when you say that cyclists should stay off (HALIFAX) sidewalks….clearly, you are uneducated about how well a shared walking/cycling path can work when properly designed.