Pedal pride: Calgarians celebrate World Bicycle Day with emphasis on pathway safety
Calgarians are embracing World Bicycle Day by strapping up their helmets and pedaling their way along city streets and the more than 1,000-kilometres of pathways.
The latest stretch of hot weather makes for ideal conditions but, as more people get outside, there's greater emphasis on properly sharing space.
"We want to make sure the pathways and our park systems are safe for everyone," said Ryan Pleckaitis, chief bylaw officer with the City of Calgary.
"We recognize that people riding bikes is a big part of recreational activities here in Calgary, but we have speed limits and we have officers who will set up speed traps."
The current speed limit for the majority of city pathways is 20 km/h, but can be as low as 10 km/h in specific areas.
A lack of proper signage in tighter spaces with blind corners is of significant concern to many Calgarians, including Douglasdale resident David Bolger.
He says many cyclists in the southeast community put pedestrians at risk by riding at excessive speeds and not using bells to alert those around them.
"It’s just a real concern for me that people should be looking out for each other, not speeding, not taking up the whole pathway, I mean there are no angels on either side," said Bolger of the cyclist and pedestrian issues.
"More bylaw officers would help, but we need to educate everybody. I don’t know what the solution is, short of putting in speed bumps."
CYCLING SPEED LIMIT FINES OF UP TO $400
The current fine for speeding while cycling jumped to as high as $400 as of March 2019.
Cyclists going up to 30 km/h can be fined up to $150 and those reaching speeds above that can be fined the maximum.
Speed limits are subject to weather conditions and cyclists could be potentially fined for travelling at unsafe speeds even without exceeding the posted limit.
Gary Millard, president of Bike Calgary, doesn’t take issue with the fines, but rather the speed limits itself.
He says most cyclists travel safely between 25 km/ h and 30km/h and keeping the limit at 20 km/h could make people less likely to consider cycling as their daily mode of transportation.
Other avid cyclists like David Niscak agree that higher speeds are essential for training for longer endurance events such as triathlons, but says pathways aren't the place for that.
"Certainly, you see a lot of cyclists on the bike paths abusing the speed limits and going faster than they should which is unfortunate because it ruins the experience for both cyclists as well as the pedestrians," Niscak said.
"If you want to be picking up speed and racing, we have great opportunity around Calgary to get out on the roads and go as fast as you want."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.