Bike Lane Advocacy

Hi Council Members,

At the beginning of August I joined a charitable challenge to cycle for children's cancer (https://greatcyclechallenge.ca/Riders/NickCupolo). 

Throughout August I rode daily along what became a 22km route through the city. I attempted to take advantage of the few roads or paths in the city that have dedicated infrastructure for cycling. I mostly rode in the early morning or late night to avoid vehicular traffic as much as possible. My original goal was 500 total km for the month. With two days left, I'm at 602 km. I raised over $600 so far for cancer research.

Here is the path I took and my analysis on how dangerous the city is on a bicycle: 

Green Line = Great cycling infrastructure, super safe, great enjoyability.
Yellow Line = Ok cycling Infrastructure, ok safety, ok enjoyability.
Red Line = Poor-less than ok cycling infrastructure, poor-less than ok safety, poor-less than ok enjoyability.

Black Line = You have a death wish if you cycle through these areas. 

#1: The route from my front door to the Paisley-Janvary Pool Pathway - This route gets a red. While the traffic is relatively light and slow moving in this area, there is nothing to protect a cyclist. No shoulders, no bike lanes, you are at the mercy of vehicle drivers being courteous when they pass you. Luckily I had no close calls on this part of my journey. 

#2: Paisley-Janvary Pool Pathway - Awesome place to cycle. Smooth pavement, great natural scenery, completely separated from the dangers of vehicular traffic - one of my favourite parts of the daily ride. 

#3: Crossing Thorold Stone Road - Our first black zone. I have had multiple close encounters with drivers turning left in the other direction at this intersection when I had the right of way. It is especially bad when you are not there and waiting at the light as it changes. Good luck for any of the cars to stop turning left for you to cross even though you receive a green light exiting the industrial plant parking lot. I learned to simply cross when the road was clear rather than wait and give traffic an opportunity to hit me. An advance crossing light for pedestrians and cyclists should exist here - especially as it's a crossing point for one of the nicest pathways in the city. 

#4: Stanley Avenue - While there is a bike lane along 75% of this route, because of its presence in an industrial area, it's a terrible ride. Rocks, stones, road debris litter the entire bike lane. It intensifies at all of the entry/exit points for any of the industrial businesses along Stanley in this area. This was the only place I received a flat tire during my rides, courtesy of a broken plastic tail-light covering. This cycling route would benefit extremely from a more frequent street sweeping schedule. 

#5: Hwy 61/Portage Road - This is another enjoyable journey along the route I chose. Pretty wide shoulder even though there is no dedicated bike lane. It's a straight and flat route, and the light vehicular traffic always gives plenty of room along this roadway. A wider shoulder with placards separating the cyclists from the vehicular traffic would make this route green!

#6: Niagara River Parkway - This should have been a green line but alas it is not. This is entirely due to the disrepair that the parkway trail is in. I rode along the dedicated cycling pathway for the first couple rides of my journey. However it is extremely bumpy due to stress cracks from the age of the pavement. Every 5-10 feet there is a bump that spans the entire width of the path - you can't avoid it if you try. When travelling along this route at 25km/h, it's a real annoyance that led to a headache on each ride I was doing. 

So I switched to riding on the side of the road. This was already where everyone else who I assumed was a frequent cyclist (nice bike, bike lights, exercise clothing), was riding - they probably had already acquired the knowledge that the cycling path is inadequate. 

With no shoulder along this road, you are on the road with vehicular traffic who give you little room when attempting a pass. The parkway along the route I have highlighted is in need of resurfacing. 

#7: The Whirlpool Death Corner - There is no way to sugar coat it, this is an extremely dangerous place to ride a bike. The former GM of Great Wolf Lodge was hit while riding in this area last year. Another person was hit in this area late July/early August. Riding it myself shows me lots of evidence as to why. This is where vehicular traffic gave me the least amount of room along my multiple journeys. There is no shoulder to ride along here - you are right on the road. A coach bus ran right by my shoulder on one ride. Multiple vehicles were within a few inches of my body when the opposite direction of the road was entirely clear giving them lots of room to give me room. There is just something about this area. To make matters worse, the portion of the cycling parkway that exists here is very bumpy and unkempt. It's really a pick your poison scenario when cycling through this portion of my route. 

#8: Niagara River Parkway - While a separated bike lane exists here - it is very bumpy. Anywhere there is a water drain or manhole is very treacherous - the transitions and pavement around them are not smooth. In addition, Lawn care companies servicing the properties along the parkway were constantly parked illegally and blocking the bike lane on approximately 75% of my rides through this route - forcing me into the middle of the road.

#9: Olympic Torch Run Legacy Trail - Another great place to ride a bike. Great scenery, smooth surface, separated from traffic. A+. 

#10: Clifton Hill Tourist Area/Neighbourhood Behind - Riding a bike around Clifton Hill is another death-wish if you ride through during peak vehicular traffic hours. From drivers ducking in to parking lots with no notice or turn signals, vehicles drifting into your path as you attempt to pass when traffic is slow, pedestrians walking out onto the road right in front of you. This was another area I learned to avoid. Using the neighbourhood behind this area was not much better as the roadways are in complete disrepair with plenty of ruts and potholes. 

Conclusion

And that finishes the report of the journey I've made throughout the month of August. As you can see - even trying to follow a route that made extensive use of the limited cycling infrastructure in the city was still plenty dangerous for a cyclist. I believe this is a problem for the city as time goes on. More and more people are cycling as a necessity around the city. They don't have the option like me to attempt to choose the safest route possible. They are just trying to get from point a to point b. 

I've owned and operated a store that caters to a lot of lower income individuals (some of the most vulnerable in our society) - so many of these patrons arrive on a bike. It's increased through the years as the cost of owning a personal vehicle has skyrocketed. For these people, It's either the unsafe road, or in a lot of cases the sidewalk, which opens a whole new can of worms: I've been almost hit by a bike as a pedestrian so many times in the city while walking around and it's only getting more frequent.

I was speaking with Lori Lococo a few years ago and she mentioned a master transportation plan that the city was working on. Does that exist yet? Does it improve access and safety for cyclists and pedestrians? If not, it should - because where we're at right now is pretty dreadful. 

All the Best,

Nick Cupolo