With all due respect to Gloria Krenbrenk and others who cruise the sidewalks of this region on your bikes, you’re part of the problem.
I respect and understand the need at times to ride on sidewalks for safety. When riding with my autistic daughter, yep, I feel safer riding on the trails and occasionally on the sidewalks of St. Albert.
That being said, I firmly believe that we’d all be safer if more of us took our bikes to the road.
The major problem with the cars vs. bikes issue is that most drivers only see us out on the streets once in a while and go into shock whenever they come across one of us peddling beside them down St. Albert Trail. They see some of us on the sidewalks and always expect us to be there, but we have every right in the world to ride on every major artery, whether it’s on Hebert Road, the McKenney Avenue connector to Ray Gibbon Drive or some crescent or any side street. If we’re seen on a regular basis, in greater and constant numbers, drivers will expect us, and know how to react. And hey, maybe someday our city council and mayor will see fit to actually provide us all with bike lanes on our city streets and avenues. And who knows, the city may even co-ordinate a system of some sort that’ll connect with the City of Edmonton’s extensive bike route system.
We are blessed in St Albert to have the Red Willow Trail system that’ll take us most of anywhere you’d want to go without having to use a city sidewalk or a road if you feel nervous about hitting the streets. That trail system, though, is limited and while it should be expanded and perhaps more pedestrian overpasses should be built such as the one that leads to St Albert Centre, you’ll eventually have to cross major intersections and ride down city streets to where you want to go (say Servus Credit Union Place).
So make sure you and your bike can be seen, day or night. Stay awake and conscious, be aware of your surroundings, signal and make sure the others on the road know your intentions. Spend the $25 for a helmet and a few reflectors and take your bikes to the streets. It’s where we belong!
Warren Footz, St. Albert
