Winnipeg officials leave cyclists to their fate

IAN STOESZ

Riding my bicycle southbound down Pembina in the curb lane, in a mad rush to lessen my routine tardiness to my genuinely riveting medieval history class, I sense a large van creeping up from behind me. Th is huge van was attempting to pass me, while not budging over in the slightest. “Just another asshole,” I think, and I curse him deep in my little black heart. Little do I know he has an ace up his sleeve: a trailer being pulled that is wider than the van itself. Already pinned to the curb, there is nowhere for me to go. Th e trailer hooks my left handle bar, swings my front wheel to an unnaturally sharp right turn, and immediately my mind becomes sharp as a razor. I knew I’d hit the ground eventually, there was no way around it, but I could still be run over by the trailer and then the following traffi c. On my way over the front of my bike, I saw the wheel of the trailer, which meant that by the time I hit the ground, it would be gone. My helmet connected fi rst, saving my head, followed by my left shoulder connecting to the concrete, snapping my collar bone. I rolled, getting a glimpse of oncoming traffi c, and seeing it slamming to a halt behind me. I tumbled on. Before completely fi nishing my tumble, I rolled up on to my feet, and dashed off the road in case I didn’t catch all hazards present.

Th is accident was not my fault. I was injured by one of the thousands of inconsiderate, naive, piece-of-shit drivers out there.

I don’t like taking the bus. It’s a crowded, socially awkward setting, and can often be slower than I am on bicycle. On campus, I can zip from one class to another, have my own form of transportation 30 seconds away from wherever I am at, and I’m strengthening my legs. Seriously, I’m a gazelle, you should see me gallop. On top of all this, with the growing concern of global warming, I can feel proud that the only toxin I am releasing is musky man-stink in class.

But there are two problems with cycling on the roads. First, many drivers do not give a fuck about cyclists and secondly, the city of Winnipeg does not give a fuck about cyclists.

As a result of the broken collar bone, I am stuck in a big black sling. People get curious and ask what happened. I usually tell them some big obvious lie, but occasionally I tell them the truth, and nearly every time I am suddenly hearing another sob story about cycling on the road. I’ve heard a story of one cyclist who has been hit twice near the Staff ord underpass. One cyclist told me that at a red light, a driver rolled down his window to yell at the cyclist for being on the road because he doesn’t pay any insurance. Now there’s a real winner at life.

Th e thing about being a cyclist is that we don’t fi t anywhere. We aren’t allowed on the sidewalk, and we are often cursed, deliberately threatened, or not given room on the street. Last week’s Manitoban nicely illustrated the passive nature of Winnipeg regarding cyclists. As stated, there are no dedicated bike lanes, few locking facilities downtown, and no comprehensive city-wide bike network. We spend roughly $47,000,000 a year on the roads, but only about $175,000 a year on pedestrian and cycling infrastructure combined, this is not even close to enough. As well the writer showed that in comparison to other provinces, and especially European nations, the treatment of cyclists in Winnipeg is simply disgusting.

It can be incredibly dangerous to bike in this city. Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) reports that on average every year, 175 cyclists report injuries, two cyclists die, and 190 bicycles are damaged. Cyclists are noticeably tougher than their squishy quadra cycled partners, so the damaged bicycle numbers might refl ect accidents that a cyclist escaped unharmed. Either way, only 18.5 per cent of cyclists reporting injuries are wearing helmets. So, when you are feeling attacked on the streets, be sure that it is true — the world is out to get you, do what you can to protect yourself.

So many students bike to school, yet there are no major governmental projects for the sake of cyclists currently underway. However, there is a $1.7 million bike trail underway from Glenway Avenue in North Kildonan to Nairn Avenue in Elmwood. Th e deal was brokered by local businessman and philanthropist John Buhler. So this is a great project with cyclists in mind, but unfortunately the city merely allows this to take place; our dashing and handsome politicians didn’t spearhead this, in fact they had nothing to do with it. I’m always amazed when I see on garbage bins, walls and billboards the message (sponsored by Winnipeg) to “Keep Winnipeg Beautiful,” when one of the most critical steps for this is to establish a means for people to become more environmentally engaged. Again we see as we have before the incompetence of the government in dealing with this great problem, which may be one of survival versus the leadership of the people on the front line.

I am angry at Winnipeg offi cials, and I’m pissed at asshole drivers. Anybody living in this city should be aware of why.