Cyclists freak me out. I’ve come pretty darn close to hitting a few ever since I got my G2 in 2006. The “almost” is entirely due to the relative tameness of cyclists in Waterloo. They mostly bike on sidewalks if there is no bike lane, and they don’t have the confidence/arrogance of spandex-donning Torontonian cyclist commuters who weave in and out of slow traffic. When I visit the great metropolis, I’m constantly fearful of clipping one of the Lance Armstrong look-a-likes and getting slapped with a huge lawsuit and decades of horrendous insurance rates. I’m thankful that most Waterloo cyclists choose to ride on the sidewalk, so I can have the road all to myself and my fellow motorists.
My world was turned upside down when I fell in love with a cream step-through frame “commuter” cycle in a shop window. I pulled out my wallet, convincing myself that buying a bike will not only be good for my fitness, but good for the environment too. (I love using the environment to justify creating further waste by buying more shit.) For the next week and a half, I enthusiastically biked everywhere, including an excursion to the Farmer’s Market in St. Jacobs. On this long trip (by my standards), I discovered how ridiculously uncomfortable it is to ride on the sidewalk. Thanks to the individual concrete slabs that make up our sidewalk, I get a jerk every 0.8 meters or so. After making it over the McDonald’s on King & Columbia, I’ve decided to brave it on the street. It sure wasn’t easy to swallow the embarrassment when cars swerve around me to avoid the same freak-outs I have so very often in Toronto. But, but the ride is so smooth! The embarrassment only multiplied tenfold when King St. became one lane and the sidewalk option disappeared all together…
On the way back, it wasn’t so fun. A small truck almost clipped me. After that, I stayed on the sidewalk for good despite the complaint from my buttocks. Swerving around pedestrians wasn’t so fun, especially when said pedestrian is pushing twin strollers with earbuds in. What’s a faux-cyclist to do? What’s the proper cycling etiquette? Will someone please write a manual?
I want to hear from fellow motorists, real cyclists, and pedestrians about your experiences with each other. What frustrates you? What can we do if the municipality isn’t keen on making separate paths for everyone? Come on readers, I know you’ve got to fall into one of the three groups (Unicyclists count as cyclists too remember). Email me at wundermatchen@gmail.com. to let me know how you feel about sharing the road. Hopefully, I’ll get some submissions by next issue to compile a good “chat log” of sorts.
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