My recent obsession with the nightmares Burnaby cyclists face has come with an accusation from drivers that I am, in fact, a “biased cyclist.”
People who have seen my physical condition will laugh at that. As I’ve said before, I don’t even own a bike.
I’m actually pretty ignorant about cycling issues, but I’m learning fast thanks to the help of people like Jim.
Jim is someone who rides about 35 kilometres to and from work each day. He’s seen a lot of heinous stuff out on the road and wanted me to know about a website dedicated to warning other cyclists about how bad things can get.
He sent me a link to bikemaps.org – a site where people can post crashes and problems in their communities. I checked it out and zeroed in on Burnaby and it was a revelation.
There are a number of things cyclists can post, including collision reports, near-misses, cyclist hazards, bike thefts and new infrastructure.
The hazards postings were interesting, such as a traffic light for cyclist and pedestrian crossings from Central Valley Greenway (east of Douglas Road) going green at same moment as traffic coming from Still Creek Avenue.
“I had several near misses as a cyclist, as drivers turning from Still Creek northbound on Douglas do not expect cyclists to cross,” someone wrote.
Some of the postings are a few years old, but there are many from 2019, including the recent fatality involving cyclist Charles Masala on Gaglardi Way in Burnaby.
One thing I noted was how many of the posts were just the facts and not full of histrionics about drivers (not that I would blame them for being angry).
Imagine the posts from drivers on an alternate site. Actually, I don’t want to imagine that.
Jim says he has posted a lot over the years, but wants to get the word out to encourage others to take advantage of it.
“It only becomes effective if it gets data from many people,” he said. (For the record, Jim gave me his full name, but I am only sharing his first name to keep him safe from the trolls.)
Jim shared some of his road nightmares with me and they are alarming stories – including his experience while out on a country road.
“Most people were doing OK, giving space and passing safely,” Jim said. “Then a driver of a gravel truck/trailer approached who apparently did not feel I should be there. While the previous truckers had slowed and moved over to pass safely, this driver did not slow. He didn't slow at all, he didn't move over. He just blew his air horn and kept going. It was a nice day out, visibility was good, there were no vehicles in front of him obstructing his view - he just figured the road was his and I shouldn't be there. I guess he would've killed me and carried on with his day – however, I dodged off the side of the road as he approached.”
I have my upmost admiration for people who experience this every day and still continue to get on a bicycle.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
