Cycling in St. Catharines

Here is a column I wrote during my term as a Niagara Voice for the St. Catharines Standard:

St. Catharines is not particularly cyclist-friendly. Surprised? I thought not.

While efforts have been made to be more inclusive of sustainable forms of transportation, the addition of bicycle lanes on many of the city’s busier roads do little to make me feel any safer than I did previously. Further, the bicycle lanes in the downtown core are laughable. I marvel at the cyclists who are brave enough to travel those lanes as cars squeeze by them.

A good deal of the problem with cyclist safety is the behaviour of drivers. Some drivers squeeze into the bike lane to make right-hand turns or just to impede their travel. Some drivers misjudge the speed of a cyclist when entering a main road from a stop at a side street, causing the cyclist to avoid being hit and – if clipped into their pedals – potentially having them take a fall if their reflexes are not especially quick. And, some drivers holler or honk at a cyclist when they are right beside them to scare them.

Due to the inconsiderateness or lack of awareness of some drivers, I absolutely refuse to ride on the road with one or both of my children in tow. I will stop for pedestrians to let them by as I travel the sidewalk, and I will call out to pedestrians on the path as we approach them that I’m on their left, but I will not – under any circumstances – ride in a bike lane on a road with my children. When I ride alone, I ride on the road.

Having said all of that, I think that cyclists cause a great deal of the problem with their own safety as well. Much of what I’ve witnessed from other cyclists – whether as a drive my car or cycle near them – defies the logic of what would be considered safe to do on a bicycle. If everyone on a bicycle followed the rules of the road, rather than making their own rules as they go, we might be able to start counting on drivers to be more aware of and considerate in their actions.

Travelling on the road, then weaving up onto the sidewalk to avoid having to stop at the red light, then weaving back onto the roadway does not lend itself to safety. Travelling along the road, listening to music, and sailing through the red light because you think you can make it also does not lend itself to safety. Finally, travelling the wrong way on the road, at night, in dark clothing and with no lights or even reflectors is practically begging to get hit.

If cyclists begin to behave in more predictable patterns, then drivers will likely follow suit. There are several traffic laws that we all follow every day, but much of why we don’t find every intersection tied up with car accidents is because, as drivers, we can also generally predict what other drivers are going to do. If all cyclists followed the rules of the road, drivers might be more respectful of the cyclist’s right to share the road, because they would also be able to predict what the cyclist was going to do.

I’ve been involved in some discussions about licensing cyclists, but I’m not sure this would do anything to solve the problem. However, anyone who is travelling on the road needs to know and follow the rules of the road. Maybe some form of licensing is what gets us there, but then there’s the issue of enforcement to deal with to ensure that those licenses are worth the paper they’re written on.

St. Catharines needs to become more cyclist-friendly, and cyclists need to abide by the rules of the road at all times. Maybe, just maybe, the latter could help lead us to the former.

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So, yes, cyclists need to take some responsibility for their actions. Absolutely. Drivers also need to take responsibility for their actions.

If we are going to move forward on our commitment to be a more environmentally-responsible/friendly city, we need to have policies in place that allow for this. For instance the two-year-old bicycle lane policy that has recently been sent back to the drawing board.

It seems that some councillors believe that cycling is simply a sport, rather than a viable mode of transportation. I do cycle for sport, exercise, etc. and, I also cycle simply to get from point A to point B.

If the City of St. Catharines had a more comprehensive and safer network of bicycle lanes, we would be able to cycle simply for transportation more often, and we wouldn't be as nervous about transporting children in those bicycle lanes.

It is not convenient for cyclists to take the sidewalk and many (not all) would refrain from using the sidewalks if the bicycle lane policy was properly put into practice.

We're never going to be able to stop all of the people who don't obey the laws - as can be demonstrated with any issue - however, we can make significant headway by creating and implementing appropriate policies.

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On August 31, the following letter to the editor was published in the St. Catharines Standard:

Bike lane decision troubling

Re: City sends bike lane policy back to the shop (Aug. 25)

The outcome of city council's discussion on bike lanes is troubling. While council worked out a decent compromise on the addition of lanes to Pelham Rd., it deferred the decision on Bunting Rd. This in spite of the fact that one of the speakers against bike lanes told council that "no one wants to park on Bunting because it's too busy."

So here we have a statement from an opponent of the lanes that Bunting Rd. is busy and not ideal for parking. Yet it is OK to expect cyclists to ride on this busy and dangerous road without bike lanes?

More troubling, though, was when Coun. Peter Secord began to argue the cycling policy was flawed and needed reconsideration. Two issues are noteworthy.

First, he called cycling a "sport." Secord's use of the term suggested that he saw cycling as nothing more than a hobby, and that cyclists just want to play on the roads.

Yet as council has clearly stated in its policies and vision for the city, cycling policy is there to encourage people to use their bikes as an alternative to cars. It is not about sport or hobbies, but about making it possible to get around town safely.

Second, he expressed concern that every time the issue of bike lanes arises, he has to sit through presentations by more residents who support or oppose them. To him, this means the policy is flawed.

This suggests Secord doesn't understand the fundamentals of democracy, or at least the role of a city council.

Council creates policies that outline an agreed-upon vision on certain issues. This vision guides the work of city staff, but it is up to councillors to consider recommendations and make exceptions as needed. That is why people come to council to make their interests known.

If Secord is so bothered by citizens presenting their cases to council, maybe he should reconsider seeking re-election. Listening to citizens is part of the job.

Clearly being a councillor is no fun for him. Maybe he should go for a bike ride.

Dan Malleck, St. Catharines