WATCH- Bike lanes are popping up all over the city,including in the suburbs in Calgary’s deep south.As Carolyn Kury de Castillo reports, the new addition is causing confusion for some drivers.
Living on Sunmills Drive has given Dave Fryett and his family a front row seat to speeding vehicles and injuries.
“We’ve had three rollover accidents in front of our house. Five years ago a speeding car took out two garages down the street,” Fryett said.
The city responded by building traffic calming curb extensions, typical in many neighborhoods. But next came new bike lanes, which is not so typical for the suburbs. They’re designed for cyclists’ safety and to keep speeders from passing
“Before we have the bike lanes I noticed that I would slow down for the school zones and drop down to 30 km an hour,” Fryett said. “And people would go on to the right hand lane and speed by 60 or 70 km an hour. The traffic calming is meant to stop that.”
One problem that has come up since the lanes were painted has been cyclists travelling in the wrong direction, biking against traffic flow.
Colin Mclellan supports bike lanes and thinks they are an advantage for families.
“It gives them a defined space where at least the kids know this is where I’m supposed to be. Rather than too much wander gives them some definition,” Mclellan said.
But the bottom line for seasoned cyclists is that lane or no lane, those on two wheels always need to be vigilant.
“If you think you can relax because you’re in a bike lane, doesn’t matter if they’re in the wrong, you’re still going to be dead,” Mclellan said.
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