As the cycling lanes go into place on Hilchey Road, I see some people may be having trouble adjusting to them.
I’m hoping the first response to the parking position is merely because it didn’t look like the lanes were complete, yet, but sure enough, I saw one person park on the cycling lane against the curb.
Others were encroaching on that narrow buffer strip between the parking lane and curbside bike lane. I guess it will soon be time for the city to issue instructions on how to accommodate the new lanes.
As a new cyclist – Okay, I bought an e-bike so I realize that barely qualifies me as a human being, never mind a cyclist, but nonetheless, I take interest in these things now.
I’ve had an old mountain bike for decades now but was only an occasional user of it. My most popular recreational mode transport was my canoe but I’d occasionally get in the saddle.
Nowadays, I figure some pedaling would do me more good than paddling, so I bought an ebike. Ebikes are like cellphone cameras, they say the best camera is the one you have in your pocket, i.e., the one you’ll use. Same with a bike, I feel.
So, Hilchey is a nice addition to safe cycling. As a user of Hilchey, I felt pretty comfortable using the street before the lanes but not everybody does so carving out lanes to make it clear is a nice addition.
On another cycling note – and one not unrelated to ebikes – the Rotary Seawalk has become a bit of a lightning rod regarding cycling use, namely, cyclists using the Seawalk are generating some controversy because of the potential bike-pedestrian conflicts.
I confess that I avoid the Seawalk because although it was created, I believe, with cycling infrastructure funds, at least partially, it’s really a pedestrian path now.
The Seawalk is such an awesome amenity and walking it is a pleasure. But because there is a bike line on Highway 19A, I don’t use the Seawalk (maybe occasionally when I ride with my daughter).
That’s just me, I’m not saying people shouldn’t use bikes on the Seawalk, I’m just choosing not to.
It’s good to see more cycling accommodation, at least. There is definitely a movement afoot to encourage cycling and cycling advocates are having an impact.