07-13-2016, 09:37 AM
From the Record: Father of teen killed cycling wants training for young riders
Both articles this week also mentioned a 39-year-old rider struck by a transport truck when she was riding on Weber on a sidewalk. The implication is that training would have prevented that, too. I doubt it. I feel very strongly that people on bikes should have enough respect not to ride on the sidewalk, but I try to avoid Weber and find it to be a nightmare. If you need to use that street, I can understand why you might be tempted to ride on the sidewalk, and it seems that many people do. I would expect that the rider who was hit on Weber probably knows that bicycles belong on the street, but simply can't stomach riding in the kind of mixed traffic Weber has.
The answer is infrastructure, not more rules. If people are riding on the sidewalk on Weber, put a bike lane there. That's relatively straightforward compared to "more training in schools" and waiting a generation for people to hopefully ride safer. And a lot more likely to actually reduce injuries than mandating helmets.
Quote:WATERLOO — The father of a 19-year-old teen who was killed after she was struck by a sport utility vehicle while riding her bike last week wants cyclists to know the rules of the road and to follow them.This article follows another a few days ago that talked about similar calls for more training on bicycle safety in schools. I have to wonder, if the daughter of an avid cyclist is choosing to break the rules by riding on the sidewalk, what hope is there for kids whose parents don't cycle, but receive some instruction in school? Knowing the rules is important, but I would guess that the likely reason this young woman was riding on the sidewalk was not for ignorance of the rules, but rather the hostile nature of a lot of our roads.
Sam Yoo also wants helmets to be mandatory for every rider, not just children under 16.
"Riding bicycles requires all of you, physically and mentally," said Yoo, a serious cyclist who regularly rides 50-kilometre treks. He often rides to Elora three times a week.
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Both articles this week also mentioned a 39-year-old rider struck by a transport truck when she was riding on Weber on a sidewalk. The implication is that training would have prevented that, too. I doubt it. I feel very strongly that people on bikes should have enough respect not to ride on the sidewalk, but I try to avoid Weber and find it to be a nightmare. If you need to use that street, I can understand why you might be tempted to ride on the sidewalk, and it seems that many people do. I would expect that the rider who was hit on Weber probably knows that bicycles belong on the street, but simply can't stomach riding in the kind of mixed traffic Weber has.
The answer is infrastructure, not more rules. If people are riding on the sidewalk on Weber, put a bike lane there. That's relatively straightforward compared to "more training in schools" and waiting a generation for people to hopefully ride safer. And a lot more likely to actually reduce injuries than mandating helmets.