Mixing cyclists and pedestrians on sidewalk not such a good idea
Maj Kingston Cuthbert, George:
The article 'New sidewalks for Caledon Street' (George Herald, 21 February) refers.
I am perturbed at the decision to put pedestrians and NMT (cyclists or nonmotorised transport) onto the same piece of roadway.
This would be a contravention of the Road Act, which, specifically, separates pedestrian and vehicular traffic. A cyclist constitutes "vehicular traffic". Municipal by-laws may make an existing stature more strict, not less.
Mixing the two is bound, at some point, to lead to an accident of some sort. The intended paved section of the sidewalk will be less than 2 metres wide (the edging stones correspond to the previous width of the paved area). This means that a portion of the paved sidewalk, for each, would be less than 1 metre wide.
Already I have problems with cyclists using the sidewalk as a roadway. None can see any reason why they should not and, indeed, argue that they have as much right to the sidewalk as pedestrians. Sooner or later there will be an accident. Who will foot the bill, then? Remember that a cyclist on rubber wheels makes very little sound. I have been nearly hit, a couple of times, by cyclists approaching from the rear.
Whoever decided to permit NMT to use the sidewalk as being in the interest of safety has totally forgotten that when the cyclist turns off Caledon into, say, Stockenström Street, it is well-nigh impossible to cycle on the sidewalk, so he/she must use the road, which is narrower and busier than Caledon!
Cyclists or friends of cyclists have bumper stickers pointing out that drivers must give them a 1,5-metre space. This is only necessary if the cyclist is in the road. This means that it is well known and understood that cyclists are road users, not sidewalk users. On another tack, there is no way the contracting company, WTF, will complete Caledon by end March. This morning, by 09:20 there were a total of 3 workers working on the curb, one being a flag waggler and the other two being quite rustig and desultory. The entire road has to be lifted again and relaid, the curbs finished and the sidewalk laid. Was there a penalty clause in the contract? How Courtenay was done almost overnight, but Caledon drags on. George Municipality responds:
After construction of the asphalt base, control tests indicated that certain sections did not meet the required specified binder content. The contractor acknowledged the outcome of the tests, but did request further tests be done before a final decision is made to quantify the reconstruction required. The waiting period for the outcome of the second tests has resulted in frustrating delays. The contractor is required to replace any rejected work at own cost.
Work on sidewalks has been delayed recently due to problems with the supply of kerbs.
A detailed response regarding the sidewalks was recently circulated to all residents, and an article placed in the George Herald. This was to explain why asphalt is used for sidewalks, and to address the use of sidewalks.
In the case of Caledon Street, most serious cyclists use the roadway given the number of intersections (pedestrians who use the pavements must stop at each intersection before crossing a street). Cyclists who use the sidewalks are mainly parents who cycle with younger children, or those who are concerned for their safety. The use of sidewalks by all NMT is supported. NMT is also known as human powered transportation and includes walking and bicycling, and variants such as small-wheeled transport and wheelchair travel.
The municipality apologises for the delay and frustration currently encountered by residents and road users, but assures the public that the problems are being addressed and will be corrected.