Cyclists and motorists will benefit from segregated bike paths

Friday’s horrific collision that killed a 53-year old cyclist in Ottawa’s west-end is yet another example of why cyclists and motorists should not be sharing the same space on Ottawa roads.

We are lucky to live in a city that is known for its wonderful cycling paths that run along waterways and through parks, but sharing the road remains a problem. As Ottawa makes strides towards becoming a more cyclist-friendly city, common sense and community priorities should guide the actions of City Council.

A July poll of Ottawa residents found that a greater number of commuters would bike to work if they felt safe doing so. In order for Ottawa to reach its transportation, social and environment priorities, I believe we need to address these concerns and take action.

Everyone—cyclists, motorists, and pedestrians—should feel safe on our streets and sidewalks in order to exercise and live a healthy lifestyle.

The best way for the City of Ottawa to ensure the safety and security of its ‘citizens on the move’ and to meet its transportation and environmental objectives is to remove cyclists, wherever possible, from the roads through the creation of segregated pathways for cyclist and pedestrians.

This way, motorists will worry less about cyclists darting in and out of traffic and many of the dangers of biking alongside cars will be eliminated.

This is especially true in Nepean, where major arterial roads like Merivale and Greenbank do not even have dedicated cycling lanes. Cycling options in Nepean are limited to existing pathways linked by roads that do not accommodate safe cycling. As a result, residents are discouraged from riding a bike, which in turn hinders the City’s effort to meet its transportation and environmental objectives.

The number of serious accidents that have occurred in the last couple of years--like the March Rd. incident in July 2009 where five cyclists were struck from behind by a motor vehicle while riding in single file in a marked on-road bicycle lane--clearly demonstrates that the current policy of adding bike lanes to our road network is not working. As the City’s population and traffic increases, so will the number of dangerous traffic incidents involving cyclists and motorists unless a solution is implemented.

As the Ottawa Citizen's cycling poll indicates, safety concerns are a barrier to the environmental and transportation goals of the city. Addressing these concerns will not only help the City achieve its goals, but will also benefit residents by finally providing the right solution to encourage residents to become active, cycle safely, and live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

Photo by Peter Blanchard. Used under Creative Commons license.