A strange place to hold a protest for safer cycling
It was a powerful moment.
About 50 people stood between busy King Street in uptown Waterloo and a newly built cycling lane Thursday evening.
They formed a human barrier between vulnerable cyclists and the heavy vehicles that rolled along beside them.
What an unforgettable visual reminder of the power imbalance on the roads. It takes just one moment of inattention for a cyclist to be knocked down or run over.
The human barrier was organized as a call for better protection for cyclists throughout the region.
How ironic, though, that the dramatic demonstration on Thursday chose to focus on that newly built bike lane, which was designed using expert advice — and which also has the endorsement of Tri-Cities Transport Action Group.
“When lanes like these are built in North American cities, there have been dramatic increases in cycling rates, often accompanied by increases in business activity when placed along downtown routes,” said group representative Mike Boos in a blog post from 2015 from the transport action group.
And: “These are the types of lanes you find in places like the Netherlands, where riding a bike is safe and natural for anyone,” said Graham Roe, also quoted in the blog post from the action group, which lobbies hard and thoughtfully for better public transit, walking and cycling infrastructure in the region.
The city built the lanes according to the plans that were approved by these activists. On one side of King Street, the lane is slightly raised and is right next to traffic. On the other, bikes and traffic are separated by parked cars.
But some cyclists want even better physical separation from traffic, such as bollards or planters. Others are concerned about cars parking in the bike lanes.
Still others are unhappy with the idea of parked cars separating traffic and bicycles. Someone in a parked car who opens a door without looking could knock over an approaching cyclist.
“There are some that are looking for nirvana, and we’re not quite there yet,” said Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky.
He said the lanes aren’t even finished yet, and not all signs are up.
The City of Waterloo is deemed to be the most cycling-friendly in Waterloo Region. It is one of only three gold-rated “bicyclefriendly” communities in the province as awarded by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition.
Yet it has attracted a lot of frustration from cyclists and their allies.
Waterloo’s gold designation is “almost fool’s gold,” said Rob Deutschmann, a personal injury lawyer and former mayor of North Dumfries township, who is running for chair of Waterloo regional council in the fall election.
“It’s not the best we can do.” Deutschmann has signed a pledge promising that he will support better and safer cycling infrastructure, if elected. He discussed in detail a number of things that could be better.
As municipal planners and politicians work harder to build safer cycling networks through our cities, the voices of the cycling community seem to rise higher to point out how inadequate it is. Revolutions, we are reminded, come in times of rising expectations.