Cars squeezing into the bike lane

Thursday, September 9, 2010

I haven’t had any opportunity to ride in the last few weeks since we were busy moving and vacationing. I was happy to see a clear weather forecast today! The move resulted in living closer to work, with a bike lane to use once I get out of the subdivision. I will miss the trails and Waterloo Park, but the ride is quicker and more convenient. This means that there is really no excuse for not riding to work – unless it is raining, I haven’t crossed that threshold yet. Actually I am planning to ride to work as much as possible. I find it enjoyable and relaxing.

The ride home was not so relaxing. For the first time I experienced car drivers crossing into the bike lane to squeeze between one lane of traffic and me. What did they gain by doing this? Nothing. They joined the line of cars waiting at the red light. 8-[

Cars in bike lane/disappearing bike lane

Wednesday, August 18

To work            8.56 kms          

Another lovely cool morning. Fourth day in a row riding to work. I am watching cyclists who go onto the sidewalk at some intersections to see whether they get across faster than I do staying on the road. I really dislike the corner of Caroline and Erb – trying to turn left to reach the Laurel Trail is difficult with so many cars turning right onto Erb by the Clay and Glass Gallery.

Home               8.69 kms          

I decided to ride the trails home instead of facing the traffic and hills on Fischer-Hallman. Riding along Caroline towards William was an interesting experience – even though there are two lanes for cars and a bike lane, at two points there were cars blocking the bike lane. There were more people on the trails than in the morning. I left the trail at Victoria. What is with the disappearing bike lane on Victoria?! It is there, then gone, then back, then gone. I marked each disappearance as a hazard on the cycling study GPS.

Work, meeting, hospital – didn’t use the car

Monday, Aug. 16

To work           8.55 kms         

The ride seemed shorter this morning. Perhaps it was because there were very few people on the trails and I didn’t need to pay attention as much.

To meeting       2.35 kms         

Columbia seemed flatter – I think I am in better shape than when I got the bike in June.

To hospital       8.29 kms         

I decided to ride to visit a friend in the hospital. I rode along Highland Road from Fischer-Hallman to Belmont for the first time. I didn’t like the traffic between Westmount and Belmont – lots of cars, lots of turning, lots of entering the road. It would have been nice to have a bike lane. I found bike racks in the parking lot and was pleased to not have to pay to park.

Home               1.96 kms         

It was nice and cool at 8:45 when I headed home.

Today I rode 21.15 kms (that’s the most in one day so far) and did not use my car at all, even though I went to a meeting and to the hospital. Cycling is a good way to get around and I feel great!

First day using GPS for the study

Friday, August 13

To work           8.39 kms         

The sky was dark and it looked like rain, but I decided that even a damp ride would be welcome after spending three days travelling in a car. Also, I am participating in the region’s GPS Cycling Study and needed to contribute some data. I am happy to be able to mark spots which I view as a hazard. Perhaps the cracks and holes along the side of streets will be repaired. The challenge is to push a button on the GPS to indicate a hazard while avoiding the hazard! 8-0

The trails were fairly quiet – perhaps pedestrians are too smart to walk when it looks like rain. There were three very cute little rabbits; one hopped along beside me for a few seconds, making me a bit nervous that he might dart. I came across an orange tabby cat on the trail. Rather than try to determine who had the right of way, I resorted to a cat-moving technique that works at home – PSHSHSHSHTTT! It worked on the trail also.  :-)

I was pleased to discover that some repairs have been made on the Iron Horse Trail – cracks have been filled in and the large gravel gap has been paved. That made the ride safer and more pleasant.

Home   6.62 kms

The ride was uneventful. I did appreciate that the jogger wanting to cross Fischer-Hallman at Stoke waited until there was no traffic instead of changing the light. I was able to sail down the hill at top speed.

More cyclists wanted for study

Today I picked up the GPS that I will use for the next two weeks.  I am to use it whenever I ride, and to indicate any hazards I encounter along the way.

The University of Waterloo and the Region of Waterloo are partners in the study. If you are interested in taking part, you may contact John Hill, an urban planner at the region specializing in transportation issues.       jhill@regionofwaterloo.ca

Turning taxi – watch out!

Monday, July 19

Even though the weather was iffy, I decided to ride today. I really wish someone would pave the gravel strip on the Iron Horse Trail! Today I was almost hit by a taxi turning right in front of me. Fortunately we had both stopped to let pedestrians cross the Ring Road at the university so I was travelling slowly and was able to stop quickly.

Since taking the Can-bike course, I have become much more aware of cars, doors, and pedestrians and the need to try to anticipate what might happen.

July 5

Mon. July 5

 Rode to work along the trails - 8.37 kms  

Today was my first experience dodging a garbage truck on the trail. Made it safely. Also it was the first time to see a man in shirt and tie riding a bike along the trail.

OpenStreetMap – cycling layer – and GRT maps

Many thanks to Adam Glauser who posted this comment (which I have put into a post in the hope that more people will see it).

“Fortunately, there is now something called OpenStreetMap, which has a cycling-specific layer which makes it really easy to find off-road bike paths. Here is the Iron Horse Trail: http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=43.4473&lon=-80.49848&zoom=15&layers=00B0FTF . It runs from the upper-left (Caroline between Allen and John) to the lower right (Ottawa between Nyberg and Maurice).

You can also see bike lanes on this map. They’re the streets with blue borders. Because OpenStreetMap is based on community contributions (ala Wikipedia), you’ll find that not all bike lanes are on there (but you can add them when you find them!)

Another good way to find bike paths and bike lanes is the GRT bus map. It costs $2 and is available at the main GRT stations.”

Look where you want to go

Sat. July 3

 It was time for Ziggy’s to check the bike, so I rode there and back this morning (a pleasant 9.24 kms). This time I went straight down Queen to enter the Iron Horse Trail. There wasn’t much traffic on the road. Still, the ride on the trail was much more pleasant.

 On the way back I got a little lost in Victoria Park. I hadn’t realized that there are so many bridges! I put into practice some of what I learned at the Can-Bike course – considered whether the lane was wide enough for me and a car or whether I needed to take the lane.  Confirmed the advice that one should look where one wants to go. If you look at the crevice between the road and the curb, you are likely to end up in the crevice! 

Can-Bike course

Sat. June 26

Today was the day for the full-day Can-Bike course. Of course we had rain! I rode 6.67 kms to the Waterloo Rec Complex, taking the trails. There were a few people walking dogs, jogging and riding, so I made good use of my bell. I hit 100 kms ridden while on the trail behind the building on Belmont where I used to work – cool! I arrived a little moist from drizzle. Later we would be soaked by the morning rain.

We worked hard all day in different ways – classroom session on the theory of riding; parking lot sessions for some basic skills, such as riding a straight line, turning and signaling; riding on the road to put the lessons into practice; then more parking lot work doing exercises such as riding a slalom course and doing figure eights, all the while having to be aware of the other riders and then make way for them when necessary. I rode 3 kms in the morning and 6.89 kms in the afternoon.

Key learnings:

• MVPC = most valuable person, cyclist = manoeuver, visible, predictable, communicate.
• Shoulder check, signal, shoulder check – without much wobbling.
• Destination positioning – let others be able to predict your destination from your positioning.

Congratulations to fellow participant Asma who made such great progress today! You looked confident on the streets and in the chaos corner!

I was tired on the ride home and happy to be able to take the quiet, car free trails for most of the trip. I was able to put shoulder check, signal, shoulder check into use.