York must improve cycling opportunities

Thornhill letter to the editor

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 10, 2015

York Region has all the dressings of a great cycling community, but doesn’t have the culture and awareness required for the hobby/sport to flourish.

Everywhere you look, there are more and more facilities for cyclists: bike racks on public transit, bike lanes on community roads and major thoroughfares, bike racks at buildings, and great big events (Markham Cycling Day, formerly Giro Markham Bike Races) designed to get people on two wheels.

It’s never been a better time to take up cycling. Yet, you don’t see that many people using cycling as a legitimate transportation method. More often than not, cyclists take their bikes outside of York Region on weekends to get in a good bike ride.

First, it’s an issue of safety. How many times do we see drivers roll through stop signs or right-turns on a red light? Not enough people in this community know how to share the road with cyclists, nor do they care to learn.

Second, pedestrians don’t like cyclists because they think we’re being arrogant when we ring our bells. Bells on bikes (not helmets) are mandated by law - not to annoy pedestrians, but as a tool for communication.

When cyclists are turning blind corners or entering a trail, they ring their bells to indicate to oncomers that they’re approaching.

As a cyclist, when I ring my bell, it’s because I want to avoid a collision. You don’t have to move for an oncoming cyclist who rings their bell, but you should be aware of your surroundings so that we can pass safely.

Finally, I feel trail systems are sorely lacking. Trails are usually short and poorly maintained, if they exist.

In Toronto, the Don Valley Recreation Trail offers 25 km of dedicated and uninterrupted (except for one crossing at Pottery Road) trail. Burlington offers 16 km of beautiful, double-wide trails.

Cyclists here have to ride in subdivisions or on the road with cars. The trail up by Bond Lake is acceptable, but you need to walk a huge portion (due to gates and steep incline). I’m not sure how many cyclists are actually brave enough to use the bike lanes on Hwy. 7, though I do admire the wide lanes and accessibility offered.

I don’t think the popularity of cycling is going to decline anytime soon and the cities of Markham, Vaughan and Richmond Hill need to do a great deal of work to improve conditions for cyclists!

Leanna Fong