Bike2Work 2012 Challenge!

On Roads and Rationale

When first starting this bike challenge, one of my main concerns was biking on the road. Riding trails (and the odd sidewalk) would make me at least feel safer, I rationalized. Indeed, the trails I have biked on have been maintained, well-travelled paths used by bikers, joggers, and dog walkers. And I like them - they tend to be quiet and pretty areas that allow for self-reflection. 

As I’ve been biking these past two weeks, I have surprisingly found myself preferring to be on the road. I like being part of the flow of traffic in my city. I’ve been delighted to discover the fact that I can bike the same roads I normally drive, and still end up at my destination in roughly the same amount of time. I’ve been biking along some large and busy roads like University Ave and Columbia Ave in order to get to work meetings, and I have found both cars and other riders to be patient and friendly as I navigate through my route.  While these roads are multiple lanes across, and often packed with cars hurrying to get to work and appointments, these same roads are also wide with a generous shoulder and bike lane. It seems like on these roads cars and bikers can co-exist.

I'm not pretending this is a perfect place to bike; I've had friends be in enough collisions to know that accidents do indeed happen anywhere. However, I think that the universities and the high density of bikers in this area contribute to a more aware commuting zone. Drivers, bikers and pedestrians are cognizant of one another along this stretch, and for the most part seem to want to try and help everyone arrive at their destination safely, rather than try to beat each other to a waiting red light. I don’t know if it’s the wide roads, or the high amount of a commuting population that exists, but I do know that I wish other areas in the city felt this easy to navigate.  

Kayleigh P from Communitech