Monday, June 27, 2011

Doing it all wrong

There is hardly a bike blog in Ottawa that has not had a critical word or two for the drivers in Ottawa and the lack of respect some often show for cyclists. Well, it's only fair that cyclists take their share of the criticism when it's warranted. With the opening of the Laurier segregated bike lanes and the general increase in cycling in Ottawa, it should go without saying that cyclists need to respect cars as well. I photographed the cyclist here doing several things wrong. Not only was she riding on the wrong side of the road, but she proceeded up the not yet opened Laurier bike lanes heading west in the east bound lane. Though the lanes are not yet open, some cyclists have been using them. If that is the case, how about exercising some common sense and ride in the proper lane! The face has been blurred to protect the silly!

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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 30, 2011 at 10:33 AM

    Now everyone can see that WITH or WITHOUT dedicated lanes, bikes simply do not belong in any downtown area. There will alway be one that will not respect the rules and be a danger to himself and others...

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  2. Ottawa bike guyJune 30, 2011 at 12:53 PM

    Wow! Really? On June the 6th I was driving up Queen Elizabeth Driveway and stopped to make a legal left-hand turn. A pick-up truck behind me, obviously texting or reading his GPS plowed in to the back of my car. I suffered whiplash and would likely have been killed without a seat-belt. My car was destroyed and it was written off by my insurance company. He was charged. Now if we apply your logic, I guess all cars should be banned from the downtown area right? There are poor cyclists and there are poor drivers. Apply the law to both equally...simple enough.

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  3. Alex deVriesJuly 4, 2011 at 5:12 PM

    Imagine, for a moment, what the downtown core would be like if all cyclists were replaced with people on transit or in cars. Just imagine the congestion and cost...

    To get an idea of scale, there's about 10,000 people who bike to work in the downtown core in the summer.

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  4. Ottawa bike guyJuly 4, 2011 at 5:18 PM

    Yes, on a short walk today from Laurier down Elgin every bike rack was used and full...some too full. But no one bikes in Ottawa!

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  5. Drew GraggJuly 4, 2011 at 7:34 PM

    A lot of people are using the seg lanes already, and those that don't are having some close calls with cars in the narrowed lanes. Too bad we have to wait til Sunday. Fingers crossed nobody gets hurt.

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  6. AnonymousJuly 31, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    I love your logic. It really gets me down when every cyclist's blog is peppered with grumpy car hate. It is counterproductive and, let's face it, motorists are more likely to listen when we aren't blasting them all for the poor driving skills of a select few.

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  7. Ottawa bike guyJuly 31, 2011 at 2:25 PM

    @walktrotcycle, thanks for the comment. I agree that the constant negativity is not productive. It always helps to see both sides of any issue.

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  8. berctonAugust 4, 2011 at 3:04 AM

    Breaking the rule is costly!Yes and you are right some common sense should be applied. Safety is paramount!

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  9. AnonymousAugust 4, 2011 at 10:22 PM

    Yes, I think that's right. Safety's first.

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  10. QueriesonFoodsandHealthAugust 8, 2011 at 8:03 PM

    "Though the lanes are not yet open, some cyclists have been using them. If that is the case, how about exercising some common sense and ride in the proper lane!"

    Many people are like this. Obeying rules is quite a difficulty even for their own safety. Hope the time will not come that she will learn her lesson in a hard way, eh.

    Thanks for the share,
    Peny@blood pressure tester

    ReplyDelete

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