‘They just don’t mix’
Cycling P.E.I. says strollers don’t belong on Charlottetown’s Victoria Park lane at any time
Strollers do not belong on the cycling lane in Charlottetown’s Victoria Park at any time, says the executive director of Cycling P.E.I.
Mike Connolly weighed in on Thursday on the matter of a Fort Augustus mother who was verbally accosted by a cyclist for walking her child on the cycling lane.
The mother told The Guardian that she was pushing her son in his stroller as her young daughter rode her bicycle. She also explained that she didn’t feel it was safe to push the stroller and leave her young daughter alone in the cycling lane.
Connolly said strollers simply don’t belong on the cycling lane at any time.
“We do have some concerns because it’s a safety issue,’’ Connolly said.
“You don’t want to mix young kids and babies on strollers and cyclists going at a high rate of speed. They just don’t mix.’’
He said the cycling lane is strictly for rollerblades, scooters, skateboards, inline skates and cyclists and
that the City of Charlottetown has signs posted that indicate strollers, dog walking, running and walkers are prohibited.
The city’s parks and recreation department indicated on
Wednesday that while strollers are not allowed on the cycling lane, in this specific case the mother was beside her young child riding her bicycle so it was OK.
“We do have some concerns because it’s a safety issue. You don’t want to mix young kids and babies on strollers and cyclists going at a high rate of speed. They just don’t mix.’’ Mike Connolly
Connolly said the better option for the mother would have been to use the path that runs above the cycling lane, where she could push the stroller and her daughter could ride slowly. He’s talking about the paved path that starts at Fanningbank and runs up to the band shell before it turns into a hardpacked clay path through to the main park.
Connolly said if the mother is going to break any rule at the park, he’d rather see her pushing the stroller and the daughter riding her bicycle on the boardwalk.
“Technically, it’s not allowed, but then it’s not a safety issue. If she’s going to break a rule it’s better that she stays on the boardwalk with a young kid on a 12-inch wheel bike who’s . . . going about a mile per hour.’’
The Cycling P.E.I. executive director said his phone was ringing off the hook since The Guardian’s story on the mother ran in Thursday’s newspaper. He said it left cyclists and people with strollers confused.
“Our fear is because of that article (strollers) are allowed on that bike lane, but they’re not.’’