A report from Gwendolyn Barr
I live in Carlington and bike to work all year round. To me, this has many benefits: I get exercise and fresh air, and it’s better for the environment.
In November, a bike lane was added to Prince of Wales, from the roundabout at the arboretum to the bottom of the hill. I was thrilled, as this will make my commute much safer. The work was finished in mid-December; there is a line painted down the middle to create two lanes, and concrete barriers to separate bikes from cars. And then… nothing happened. There were barriers put up at both ends of the new bike lane with signs that read “Sidewalk Closed”.
For the past month I’ve been watching a quiet disagreement between cyclists and the city. Sometimes on my way to work the barriers are fully in place; sometimes one of the traffic drums is shifted to the side just enough to allow a bike through. There are always a plethora of bike tracks indicating that the bike lane is being used even though it is closed.
Because here is the thing – the closed bike lane is much safer than the alternative, which is cycling in the road. The new bike lane is where the shoulder used to be, which means there now is no shoulder when going downhill. And if there is no shoulder, then cyclists have to bike on the road with the cars. Particularly at this time of the year, when visibility is reduced, it gets dark early in the evening, and cars aren’t used to thinking about cyclists, biking in the road with cars is dangerous. And in my case, I’m commuting, so many of the drivers are in a bad mood because of traffic.
Here are photos of both ends of the bike lane from a few days ago. The barriers had been pushed all the way aside at that time, but they have since been returned to blocking the lane, which remains unploughed.
Do you know of a bike route that isn’t working as it should? Drop a line to info@bikeottawa.ca with your story and a photo or two.