Columnists
Sidewalk cycling season
It wouldn’t be the beginning of the merry month of May if I weren’t “greetin” about something. For me, it usually starts with a sighting of the first sidewalk cyclist. With all of the congestion in downtown Picton, you’d think that cyclists would dismount and walk their bikes on the sidewalks. But no. I’ve said it before, if you’re an adult and you’re cycling on a sidewalk, you’re an idiot. No excuses. If you feel safer getting from here to there on the sidewalk, then leave your bike at home.
In 2015, Brian Dexter wrote an article for the National Post, entitled “Cyclists, get on the sidewalks!” Dexter asked, “Why on earth is it necessary to continue banning adults from riding bicycles on most of Canada’s sidewalks? This is particularly needless in city suburbs and small towns where there’s often no pedestrian in sight on long stretches of sidewalk.” I don’t know where Dexter lives, but in our rural community, the sidewalks are fairly busy with foot traffic. Dexter went on to state, “Adults who do pedal on sidewalks do so mainly for their own safety because of the very real risks of mixing with fast-flowing motorized vehicles or congested traffic.” That part of his column really confused me. I wondered if he even thought of the safety of the people who are using side- WALKS as they were intended to be used. He went on with, “In fact, many more people would probably take up cycling in Canada if it were made legal for adults to ride on sidewalks.” Well, who cares if more people would cycle if they cycled on sidewalks? This part of his inane blather made me wonder if he actually knew what cycling is all about.
My point is, and I do have one, sidewalks are for walking on, hence the name. They aren’t bike lanes, nor were they created for skateboarders or rollerbladers. Pedestrians shouldn’t have to worry about who’s coming at them or who is about to sideswipe them as they make their way along the sidewalk. Last week, as I was walking along Main Street in Picton, a middle-aged woman “beep-beeped” at me. Seriously! She pedalled by, her grey hair flowing in the breeze and her bike basket filled with packages. She actually seemed to think her beeping would get me out of her way on the sidewalk. I don’t know which dream world she lives in, but she came close enough for me to guess what she ate for breakfast. If you know me, and many of you know I don’t have much internal dialogue, you know I wished her a “good day.” Maybe I used different words, you know, something more befitting the situation at hand. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If you’re an adult and are afraid to cycle on the road, with the big kids, then leave your bike at home and walk.
Dexter wrote, “cyclists who use sidewalks responsibly pose little threat to pedestrians.” What he should have said was, “Cyclists who dismount and walk their bikes on the sidewalk pose little threat to pedestrians.” He suggested he was a responsible, 76-year-old cyclist who thinks the bylaws regarding the use of sidewalks should be changed and law enforcement officers should pay more attention to the irresponsible cyclists who make sidewalks dangerous. My, oh my. Maybe Dexter’s helmet was too tight when he wrote the column. Dang, I wonder if he even wears a helmet when he’s cycling along on the sidewalk.
Oh, and by the way, please don’t bother stopping me to tell me why you cycle on the sidewalk. I’m not interested. If you’re an adult who cycles on the sidewalk, you’re just begging to be told where to go.
Comments (0)