Cycling in Waterloo Region

[danbrotherston]

I disagree.  For a strictly recreational trail, in a forested area, which provides no through destinations, I can maybe buy it, but in an urban environment, one with snow, rain, and high traffic, definitely not.  It's also pretty much necessitates you not ride a road bike.  Even my skinny tyred hybrid is pretty unpleasant on gravel trails.  As for walking, I get stones in my shoes all the time.  It can even pose a safety hazard, gravel being rather more slippery.  Worse, gravel migrates onto other surfaces and poses a slipping hazard there too.

Should your bike tires accommodate gravel trails instead of the other way around, there will always be sand, gravel and debris on surfaces at times.

I cannot comment on gravel being a slipping hazard as I don't think I have ever had an encounter like that when walking.

I can avoid or be careful on sand and debris when it's occasional, when it's the paving surface it's clearly unavoidable.

As for slipping, I have slid and fallen on sand multiple times while biking (even when on my mountain bike, on paving with sand).  Of course, I haven't while walking, given that I'm an able adult it's probably pretty rare, but my mother in law has fallen on a sandy sidewalk before.

But I'm curious as to what you're suggesting here, do you think gravel paths are acceptable as city urban biking infra?