This week, we had a letter submitted to the editor regarding bicycle safety. I myself, learned the rules of the road the hard way when I was knocked off my bike by a car while I was riding on the sidewalk. The driver didn’t see me and proceeded to pull forward as I came rushing around the corner.
When I was growing up, I was used to riding my bicycle on the sidewalk, and for me riding on the sidewalk always seems safer than rushing down a busy street inches away from speeding cars. But times have changed, and now riding your bicycle on the sidewalk is just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than riding your bicycle on the road.
The letter that was submitted to The Free Press raised concern over bicycle riders abiding stop signs. According to the letter, many Fernie drivers wave bike riders by, forcing them to ignore stop signs. Bicycle riders have to learn the rules of the road and abide by them and it’s important for vehicle drivers to allow them to do so. Just because we’re in a small town, doesn’t mean foot traffic, bicycle traffic and automobile traffic doesn’t work the same as it does in a bigger city centre.
Imagine — you’re stopped at a four way intersection, nobody abides by the rules but rather flags the other drivers by. Confusion arises and the four vehicles end up jammed against one another. This is what could happen if residents treat other vehicles the way they treat bikes.
In fact, in cities like Guelph, where I went to school, bicycle infractions, like pulling through a stop sign, can result in fines just as severe as driving fines. At first, I thought this was beyond ridiculous, how can they ticket you for riding your bicycle through a stop sign? But I’ve come to understand that if you don’t stop and a car, that doesn’t have a stop sign, glides by you unaware that you’re crossing, you could get seriously hurt and it would be nobody’s fault but your own.
It’s important that individuals adapt to the times, and that vehicle drivers and bicycle operators learn to co-exist on our roadways.
Being nice is one thing, but threatening someone’s safety is another and we need to draw a line between these two.
As much as I hate riding my bicycle on the street, I know that it is no longer legal for me to ride on the sidewalk. I’ve come to learn that as a bicycle rider I’ve had to adapt to roadway changes, and the majority of vehicle drivers have at the same time adapted to driving with more bicycle traffic.