Jun. 08, 2011 - Issue #816: Hot Summer Guide

Dangerous roads

Despite plans, Edmonton can do more to help commuter cyclists

Confronted by Edmonton's scary drivers and rush-hour traffic, a new biker's instinctive fight-or-flight reaction kicks in and the act of fleeing to a sidewalk instead of potentially having to fight motorized traffic is all too appealing. Around 60 cyclists are killed annually countrywide, according to Transport Canada, and two or three Ghost Bikes are raised in Edmonton every year at the site of fatal collisions where a cyclist has died. And yet, despite the growth of the image of the bicycle commuter, very little progress is being made to make cycling safer for Edmontonians on the road. 
The Edmonton Bicycle Commuters is working to improve confidence in cyclists and drivers. They know the cyclists' initial gut reaction is a common but counter-productive instiwnct.

"The problem comes up when cyclists don't feel comfortable because of the difference [in speed]," explains Anna Vesala, EBC executive director. She believes that the solution lies in teaching commuters to become more comfortable sharing the road with other traffic.

"If you haven't built your skill level up and your confidence up then it's terrifying being in traffic beside vehicles going 60 km/h, aggressively in rush hour traffic, downtown where the streets are already narrower then others," she says. "So all of those things combined [with inexperience] can make it more terrifying for us. In those circumstances, I would even say that I would take the sidewalk, because it's the safest option at that point."

Vesala has been biking every day since she sold her car seven years ago, and promotes commuting as a sustainable and healthy way to get around while reducing her carbon footprint. She adds that the EBC has been aiming to better educate both bikers and drivers so that both sides are more comfortable sharing roads with each other. And while sharing roads is one thing, having designated bike paths would be better, though Vesala adds, Edmonton has still seen very little progress despite a city commitment to more cycling infrastructure.

"There's a lack of infrastructure for biking period. We'd like to see more bike lanes and bike routes," Vesala says. "Unfortunately, the city is still set up in such a way that it's impossible to get around just by bikes."

Jon Navarra, a City of Edmonton sustainable transportation project engineer, hopes to change that. He said that the city will be constructing 18 km of on-street bicycle facilities this summer—a figure that includes both bike paths and routes that the city will work to make bike-friendly. The expansion this summer will occur almost entirely in south Edmonton.

The city's 2009 "The Way We Move" transportation plan committed to a "cycle-friendly city," noting that biking is both a form of exercise and green travel. Navarra hopes that developing more extensive bike-friendly infrastructure will encourage more people to get cycling and not have to worry about heavy car traffic.

"In terms of [being uncomfortable] riding on the roadway, that's what these projects are hopefully trying to address. These new bike lanes are intended to be only for bicycles, so that motorists won't infringe on that lane. Hopefully, by implementing these lanes cyclists will feel more comfort and safe on the roadway and therefore try to use [roadways] more often."

While there will be some trail work this year, only a very miniscule part of the city’s budget is put into encouraging biking. Navarra explains one percent of the 2009 – 2011 transportation budget is put into active transport, which includes shared-use paths, on-street bike facilities, sidewalks and bus stops.

This low amount might be due to what the city sees as a low number of bike commuters. While Navarra noted that bike traffic appears to have increased since the city's last assessment was done, a 2005 survey of commuters found only one percent of trips were made by bike. The EBC disputes this number, claiming that the survey was done during the late fall when the number of bikers had dropped due to cold weather.

"We did a little informal survey downtown last summer and we found that eight percent of people were cycling to work," said Chris Chan, president of the EBC. He was also optimistic that, while more people were biking, fewer were being hit. "Even as the number of bikers have increased, the deaths haven't."

Chan lives in west Edmonton and previously commuted 25 minutes every day to the south side. He explains that, as an experienced cyclist, he is more concerned on a day-to-day basis about potholes and gravel, which can be dangerous if they cause a biker to wipe out on a busy street. Chan echoed Vesala’s assertion that new infrastructure is needed to make bicycle commuting a more accessible option to a greater number of Edmontonians.

"Safety is always something people are worried about. One of the biggest fears is being hit from behind by a car, and it's one of the most uncommon types of collisions," Chan says, explaining that biking on the sidewalk is more dangerous since drivers don't see the sidewalk biker until he darts across an intersection.

"Drivers tend to see what's in front of them, and want to avoid hitting obstacles. Whether or not a car driver appreciates you being on the road, they still don't want to hit you," says Chan. "At the same time, implementing that new bike infrastructure will help people who aren't that comfortable to get over that fear of getting hit."

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