Older and wiser

I’ve been bike commuting from my homes in N.D.G. and Montreal West to downtown off and on for 25 years, summer and winter. I used to be fast, used to run a lot of reds, used to treat the commute as workout and adrenalin rush combined. Then age (I’m 45), congested bike paths and a better understanding of my own mortality conspired to slow me down.

Getting hit twice in the past five years also helped, both times my fault. Once trying to pass a minivan on the right at the corner of Ste-Catherine and Mackay just as the light changed and the minivan turned right, somersaulting me off my bike. No injuries, but two near heart attacks for me and the minivan driver. I was also bumped by an elderly taxi driver as I crossed an intersection on a dark and rainy night. Another lesson learned: Always assume the driver can’t see you.

The most dangerous part of my commute is my evening ride home on the de Maisonneuve bike path downtown. It’s crowded, and made hazardous by those who ride too fast, weaving in and out to pass, confronting car drivers who are either oblivious or terrified of whacking a cyclist they can’t see while trying to turn left. We need better traffic lights that will give cyclists, and drivers, a clear right of way. More importantly, cyclists need to learn to slow down and just enjoy the ride on crowded routes, as they have in cities like Amsterdam where urban cycling has evolved over time. So bike commuting can be what it should be: a healthy highlight of the day.