Sidewalk safety

     Now that the weather is getting nicer in Fredericton, I am noticing more and more cyclists on the roads.  But, I've also been noticing more and more cyclists on the sidewalks.  Riding your bicycle on the sidewalk is actually not allowed.  It can be very dangerous for pedestrians, especially on the busy streets in the downtown core.  You may even be issued a fine if caught operating your bicycle on the sidewalk.

     So bikers, please be careful and courteous out there.  Stick to the roads to ensure everyone's safety!




Here is a link to the Fredericton Police bicycle safety info sheet:

http://www.fredericton.ca/en/recleisure/resources/BikeSafety-Eng.pdf

Bicycle Helmet Laws

Bicycle helmet laws have been around in New Brunswick since 1995.  In most provinces in Canada, if you are caught operating a bicycle without a helmet, the police can issue a fine.  These laws vary by province, with some provinces, like Manitoba and Quebec, having no legislation in place, while some provincial helmet laws – Ontario and Alberta's – only apply to individuals under the age of 18.

            In New Brunswick, all persons operating a bicycle must wear a proper helmet and, if caught without one, can receive a fine of $21.  Other provinces have harsher penalties, such as British Columbia and Nova Scotia, with fines of $100 or more.  These laws, and fines, have been heavily debated over the years.

Some people have argued that children definitely need to wear helmets because they are not physically as capable of handling a bicycle as adults, or unable to comprehend the safety concerns of operating a moving vehicle without protection.  Sticking with this argument, some would argue that adults need to be positive role models to children; therefore, adults should also wear proper headgear.

The opposing view suggests that mature and responsible adults are fully aware of the safety issues of handling a bicycle without a helmet.  This mature, responsible adult should be the one to make the decision of whether to put their safety at risk or not.

I recently asked my twitter followers for their thoughts on this touchy subject.  Most people responded that helmet laws are not exactly necessary for adults that know how to operate a bicycle.  One follower thinks that individuals over the age of 16 should be able to decide for themselves. Another follower thinks that helmets should be necessary on major roadways, but an option for paths and trails.

City officials and law enforcers argue that theses laws have been put in place for the safety and protection of all citizens.  But, how do you, the general public, feel about these laws that we must follow?  Do you think they are necessary for everyone's safety?  Do you think there should be an age limit for helmet laws? Or, do you think that helmet laws are completely unnecessary?

Revolights

I always worry whether motorists can see me when I ride at night. Side visibility worries me, so I always wear one of those cheap reflective construction vests. With these lights, I think they could save lives.

Moncton co-op encouraging cyclists to bike this winter

Via: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/12/08/nb-winter-biking-moncton.html

A co-op in Moncton has received a prize for its efforts to try to encourage people to bike during the cold and icy winter months.

La Bikery was set up by a group of cyclists in Moncton this fall. It won a national prize for co-ops earlier this month. With the prize came $10,000 to promote, among other things, winter biking.

"I was a cyclist living in the cities of Montreal and Ottawa where it's kind of common to bike as your main mode of transportation and so when I moved back to Moncton two years ago I decided it would be a great thing to continue to do," said Chrissy Lorette, a founder of La Bikery.

Lorette said she's not sure how much longer she'll be biking this year, but another member, Marc Xavier Leblanc, said he plans to bike all winter.

"You have in winter the hard core biking scene," said Leblanc.

He's helping teach a course at La Bikery to help people to ease into the scene.

"You know it's a little bit slippery at times you have to watch out for patches of ice, black ice," Leblanc said.

He said he treats his bike just like a car in the winter; he uses studded tires, rust proofs the frame and regularly washes salt off.

Why Fredericton Transit Needs an Update

Many bus routes that service UNB and STU can become rather crowded. I've seen the bus pass people waiting at the bus stop because the bus was simply too full. Can you imagine running late for a test, only to have the bus pass you?
In December, Fredericton Transit invested in two new busses to replace the aging models from the 80s. While these new busses are fantastic and new, it does not address the issue of crowding on some routes. If any new investments must be made, transit should invest in an articulated bus.

Route 11 Carlisle and Prospect become crowded once it stops at Rigby Hall at the Lower STU Campus and at the STU Main Campus. This crowding actually discourages people from taking the bus from downtown to uptown and vice versa. Some even opt to take a taxi. If UNB ever decides to adopt a U-Pass, this problem will become even worse as ridership dramatically increases. This does not only exist on the routes that service the universities. Crowding happens often during peak times and frequency in the evening simply... sucks. Thankfully, warmer weather is just around the corner, therefore people will begin to walk or bike. My solution: invest in an articulate bus or increase frequency on busy routes. What do you think? Should Fredericton Transit invest for the future or continue using routes and frequencies from the 90s?

Crosswalk Problems in Fredericton

Questions about pedestrian safety at the Montgomery-Windsor street crosswalk have come to light after a woman was struck by a car earlier this month.

The 26-year-old woman was hit on the busy street on Jan. 22 at about 6 p.m. by a blue or black Ford Focus. She sustained minor injuries as a result of the collision. ­­­­

Fredericton police haven’t highlighted the area as a trouble spot – the Jan. 22 collision was just the second-reported accident on the busy street since 2010 – but some current and former students have concerns.

Adam Wright, a former St. Thomas University student who used to cross the street frequently in his wheelchair, lived beside the crosswalk at McLeod House for three years.

Wright almost got hit on multiple occasions while crossing the busy street near campus.

“I would look both ways…start crossing the road, then all of sudden, a bat out of hell came.

“One time, the driver braked just in time by squealing the car. Another time, I had to stop in my tracks and just missed getting hit.”

Wright said he had two close calls and his proctor at McLeod got hit by a car during his time there.

He said the city should take notice and try to put plans in place to make the crosswalk safer.

“In my opinion, they need to put a light there or a speed bump to teach the idiots a lesson.”

Third-year student Justin Marshall had a similar experience.

In his first year, Marshall was crossing the street with a couple of people after getting off a bus when a car sped past him.

“If I would have walked about three inches more, I would have got smoked,” he said.

Marshall brought pedestrian safety at the crosswalk to the attention of city councillor Jordan Graham, who represents the university area.

“He said there’s some kind of issue that you can’t have so many crosswalks across the city, I guess. I like the bus drivers that have the common courtesy to block the road with the bus so students can cross.”

Katherine Flynn, a third-year student at STU, who lived right across the street from the crosswalk, said she had one close encounter crossing the street.

“A car was going too fast and they didn’t check to see if anyone was crossing, but they hit the brakes pretty fast and were very apologetic.”

She said the crosswalk should be better lit for pedestrians at night.

“I would suggest more streetlights because it’s very hard to see at night sometimes.”

http://www.theaq.net/2012/crosswalk-collision-raises-safety-concerns/-10364

Bike share program “one more option” to stay healthy

     As you can imagine with any student, school eats up a lot of your free time. Many of you have been in the same position as I am; finding yourself staring a book for several hours and when you finally look up from your book in study hall, it's ten o'clock at night and you only have minutes before the last bus leaves to get you home. I'm making it my goal to post an article or two a week, so my blog doesn't start to collect dust. I had to break out the swiffer to get this post started up! I was browsing The Aquinian website (STU's student news), and came across this story:

The bikes for St. Thomas University’s bike share program have been locked up until the snow clears in the spring.

Tami Hill, a member of the wellness committee at St. Thomas University, said the bike share program that started in May this year was a success.

“It’s going very well, we’ve got really good feedback on the program.”

Fourteen users signed up between May and Nov. 18.

STU students, faculty and staff were able to buy a $20 membership that allowed them to borrow a bike for up to six hours or overnight if they borrowed it late in the day.

She said the program started slow, with only five memberships in mid-summer, but increased once students started returning to campus.

Olivia Long, a student who graduated this year, but has returned to take a few more courses, signed up in October.

“I only used it for a month, but I found it really useful,” said Long.

“Since I work at the gym I would take a bike at night and return it the next morning when I had school. It was really easy to just bike home.”

She said because she lives at the bottom of the hill, it was faster than waiting for the bus. In the morning she would use the bike racks on the front of the buses to come back up the hill.

Long said it has helped her save some money.

“I’m guilty for using cabs a lot, so it makes a lot more sense,” she said.

The $20 membership fee is used for maintenance of the bikes.

The St. Thomas University students’ union matched the $850 spent by the university to start the program. The money was used to buy five bikes, helmets and locks.

Hill said she wants to have a larger publicity campaign next year to attract more users.

The program is a result of the wellness committee looking “for more ways to encourage faculty, students and staff to be active, therefore healthier,” said Hill.

“People can run, walk, go to the fitness centre, go to [fitness] classes, so the program is one more option” to stay healthy, she added.

 The article got me thinking, "if STU can have a relatively successful bike share program compared to the campus' size and student population, could the City of Fredericton benefit from starting one of its own?" There are some issues concerning theft and vandalism in a city-wide bike share program. Some can be conquered through use of credit cards- similar to the bixi program in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver or controlled operations monitored by Fredericton's Trail Visitor Information Centre.


http://www.theaq.net/2011/bike-share-program-one-more-option-to-stay-healthy/-9627