Ottawa Citizen: Letters - Cyclists shouldn’t be discouraged from riding on roads

Re: Cyclists are safer on paths than risking the roadways, Oct. 17. Letter-writer Rob Riordan seems to use his bicycle solely for recreation and exercise. If he isn’t comfortable cycling on roads, that’s fine. But why discourage others from doing so? The bicycle is first and foremost a mode of transportation.

Bikes are vehicles and can use both roads and pathways, depending on the skill and comfort level of the cyclist, the destination, and the route options. If you only care about riding a certain number of kilometres in a trip, it doesn’t matter what route you take on a pathway. But when you are commuting or running errands by bike, pathways are not always a viable option.

Ottawa’s paths have meandering routes, blind turns with poor visibility, a speed limit of 20 km/h, and pedestrians, pets, joggers, tourists and children. Meanwhile, roads are governed (if not always enforced) by well-established laws that ensure the predictability of road users, and are designed to provide direct routes.

Cycling on roads is an inherently safe activity when done intelligently, and Ottawa is one of the top cities in North America for cycling as a mode of transportation. To say that cyclists are unsafe or unwelcome on the roads is an overstatement that intimidates people out of making the environmentally, economically, and socially conscious decision to ride a bike.

Cyclists can benefit greatly from the CAN-BIKE cycling courses offered by EnviroCentre at the website EnviroCentre.ca and from information available from Citizens for Safe Cycling. Our group has pushed for many years for the sustained funding of cycling skills education by the City of Ottawa.