Photo Caption: The critical mass ride is bound to anger impatient drivers, but the law
says cyclists have a right to be on the roads too.
Photo by Dan Lazin
Chieu Luu Luong
See Magazine, July 28, 2000
For james Turklington, there’s nothing better on a hot summer day than riding around the city on his bicycle, getting an intense cardiovascular workout in fresh Edmonton air. But cycling on city roads isn’t always easy. Turklington says he’s been yelled at by angry drivers annoyed by his presence on the street.
That’s why Turklington and other cyclists will be taking it to the this Friday, in a critical mass ride to promote the benefits of cycling, as well as rights that cyclists have to be on the road.
The critical mass ride originated in San Francisco in September 1992 and has since spread to other parts of the world, including Canada, Europe, Africa and Australia. The event takes place in Edmonton on the last Friday of every month, when about 60 cyclists converge on the city hall at 6 p.m. and cycle as a group southbound on 97 Street to Jasper Avenue, west to 109 Street, south over the High Level Bridge to Whyte Avenue, east to 104 Street and noth to Gazebo Park on 83 Avenue.
The cyclists are hight-spirited and loud, ringing their bells as they ride on their route. They do it as a celebration of cycling but some drivers think they’re just an inconvenience to their daily routines. Having participated in previous rides, Turlington says he and other cyclists have been sworn at by impatient motorists. Most of them yelled at the cyclists to get off the streets, but on one occasion a driver became violent.
"One of the girls got run into," Turklington syas. "Somebody physically ran her bike and then got out of his car and threw (her bike) over the railing onto the sidewalk on the High Level Bridge."
According to Wes Bellmore, a public information officer for the Edmonton Police department, the cyclists in the critical mass ride are to blame for motorists’ frustrations. "A large group of cyclists riding in rush hour and trying to assert their rights on the road by causing an obstruction, that’s going to annoy people obviously, so there is an element of provocation involved." Bellmore says. "(The cyclists) do have a right to be there but the have a responsibility not to impede traffic."
Bellmore doesn’t condone violence between motorists and cyclists, be he says both parties have a responsibility to each other.
Unfortunatly, Turklington says, that’s not the case. "There’s problems all the time," says Turklington, who regularly rides his bike to and from work.
The critical mass ride also aims to encourage more people to start commuting on their bikes. With a vast array of bike trails located within the river valley and stretching to various ends on the city, many Edmontonians can bike to work using those trails, says Claire Stock, transportation engineer for the City of Edmonton.
"It obviously depends where you come from, but 100 kilometers of routes in the river valley that people can take so It’s quite an extensive system and we’re working to increase it every year."
Stock says the city is promoting cycling in several ways, including as increasing the size of lanes on the roads. A standard lane is 3.7 metres, but some right-hand lanes have been increased to 4.2 metres, so it can be shared by cars and bicycles.
In addition, several downtown buildings now have changing areas for employees who choose to bike to work, Stock says, and Century Place on 102A Avenue even has a shower facility for employees and an indoor bicycle lock-up room. There’s a bylaw that requires new developments to include parking spaves for bicycles, and the city is on the verge of starting a year-long study of bike trails, to monitor usage and determine where the demand areas are so more trails can be constructed.
Still, many cyclists prefer to ride on the streets, and when they go on their critical mass ride this Friday, they’re bound to anger some motorists. Wayne Woods, spokesperson for the City of Edmonton’s transportation and streets department, suggests motorists may want to use alternate routes to get across the North Saskatchewan river instead of using the High Level Bridge.
"The Love Level, James Macdonald and Groat bridges are the three alternate routes," Woods says. "Otherwise our message (to the motorists) is to be very patient."