Let’s bridge cycling infrastructure gap
Re: Bridge potentially Canadian cycling trailhead, by Anne Jarvis, March 15.
With a number of others over the years, I have had the good fortune to experience a daylong ride in Montreal that attracted about 45,000 cyclists and another in New York where about 30,000 cyclists ride through the city’s five boroughs on a Sunday.
I was also among a handful of cyclists who participated in the inaugural Tour de Troit many years ago. Now, thousands participate and there is a cut-off for registration.
Authorities at any of these events have no hesitation in shutting down streets to traffic to accommodate cyclists.
Another favourite was the Great Ohio Bicycling Adventure, a weeklong ride through various areas of Ohio. GOBA is one of literally hundreds of similar rides that are held around throughout the United States and Canada. But not here. Can you imagine the financial benefit that a city like Montreal gets from having that many cycling tourists visit? Add to this the goodwill that just might prompt some to return and spend more time and money.
There was a Kitchener bike store that ambitiously tried to organize rides throughout Ontario. Regrettably, the venture failed.
You can’t blame Windsorarea motorists for being annoyed at cyclists impeding their progress on our narrow roads. But if motorists had the view of area roadways that cyclists see, they’d realize that it’s tough to hug the side of a road that’s likely to be chewed up with potholes.
Build a trail, and they will come.
I am well aware of the efforts so many have made over the years to advance the cause for both recreational and commuting cyclists in Essex County.
The problem is that there just doesn’t seem to be the political will to bridge the gap that years of neglect have created.