Bike Safety

You can bike anywhere in the Waterloo Region. Bike lanes stretch the majority of University Avenue from Fischer-Hallman to King. Keat’s Way, Columbia Street, Westmount Road, Fischer-Hallman Road, Parkside Drive, Phillip Street, to name a few, are all paved with bike lanes with more planned for the future. With complaints of poor GRT service and car ownership being prohibitively expensive for students, biking is a very attractive option for commuting to campus. The number of occupied bike racks on campus is further evidence of the popularity of cycling to school. Despite these staggering figures, many cyclists in the Kitchener-Waterloo region do not feel safe riding on major roads. This column will help those who cycle regularly to boost their confidence on the road and hopefully encourage wary pedestrians to join the cycling community.
New cyclists often opt to ride on the sidewalks, which are designed for pedestrians. This practice is not only frustrating, but also becomes a safety concern for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. Sidewalks are simply not designed for cyclists. Pedestrians are not expecting cyclists coming up behind them. Drivers are not expecting cyclists to enter an intersection from the sidewalk.
The safest place for a cyclist is in the bike lane. This might come as a shock to some people as the physical barrier between 2 tons of metal and 170 lbs of flesh is removed when a cyclist dismounts the curb. The bike lane is where drivers and pedestrians expect cyclists to be. When drivers are turning they do not look ten meters down the sidewalk to see if a bike is coming. They look where a pedestrian would be: right at the intersection. Regardless, intersections are a dangerous place for cyclists. The ‘right hook’ is when a cyclist going straight through an intersection is cut off by a vehicle turning right. Cyclists must keep an eye on turn signals and read the body language of the vehicles they’re coming up behind. Look at their front wheels. Is it turning? Has the driver seen you? Knowing when to proceed straight and when to slow down for the driver will become second nature after enough time on the road.
Cyclists should also ride as close as is practical to the right edge of the road, but must ride far enough from the curb to maintain a straight line while clearing debris, potholes, sewer grates, and parked car doors. Cyclists may occupy any part of the lane when safety warrants it. Never compromise your safety for the convenience of a motorist behind you.
Sometimes cyclists will find that the bike lane is completely blocked by other obstacles, such as buses or construction. In this case cyclists must ‘take the lane.’ This is when a cyclist merges into the middle of the traffic lane. To perform this maneuver safely: shoulder check, signal, shoulder check again, and merge when safe to do so. This is completely safe and legal when performed correctly. Taking the lane is also warranted when no bike lane is present and the lane is less than 3 meters across. Riding to the side of narrow streets can be very dangerous as drivers often do not give enough space for the cyclist as they pass. Forcing the driver to change lanes greatly increases the space between cyclist and vehicle.
Inexperienced riders might regard taking the lane as a dangerous and unnecessary solution. The mere act of shoulder checking might scare off new cyclists, swerving during each attempt. I recommend practicing shoulder checking in side streets where traffic is light, first at low speeds, and gradually speeding up when comfortable. Some cyclists use small bike- or helmet-mounted mirrors as a solution. These do help but do not fully replace shoulder checking. Just like in cars, mirrors introduce blind spots and might give cyclists false information about the road’s clarity. Shoulder checking is a very valuable skill for the urban cyclist and does not come without practice.
Although it is not required for cyclists over 18 to wear a helmet, it is still highly recommended. I do not see the point of not wearing one. It’s like not wearing a seat belt. A very small inconvenience can potentially save your life. I especially hate see helmets hanging from handle bars. It’s as if they have the ability to foresee an on-coming accident, move their hand off their handle bars, grab their helmet, put on the helmet, strap it in, and brace for impact all in the split second before they hit the ground. You already own the helmet, it’s right there, put it on!
A white light in front and a red light in the back of a bike is required by the City of Waterloo if you are going to be riding between 30 minutes before sunset and 30 minutes after sunrise. Not only does this greatly increase the cyclists’ visibility to other motorists, it also improves the cyclists’ ability to see the road. There is a $20 fine for anyone caught violating this rule.
A cyclist must follow all the same rules and regulations as other motorists. This includes stopping at stop signs and red lights. Because of the effort for a cyclist to accelerate after a complete stop, it is often debated in the cycling community whether a rolling stop would suffice. I’m not going to suggest the pros and cons here. Just know that there is an $85 fine for each violation.
Many advocates for cycling cite environmental, health, and economic benefits as major proponents to promote cycling as a mode of transportation. However, none of these are the reason I bike. I do it because it is fun, and it sure beats cramming into a crowded bus in the morning.