I’ve been an on-again, off-again bicycle commuter for almost 2 decades. For the last couple of years, I’ve been riding my bike almost exclusively (as long as weather allows) from my house to work at the University. It’s not a long ride – between 12-14 km, depending on my route – and much of it can be done off of streets, or on quiet residential streets. At the beginning of the riding season, I estimated that i might ride 2000km, or if I got lucky, maybe 2500km, before the end of the season. I’m about to cross the 2900km mark, and might be able to hit 3000km if the weather holds out. The bike ride is probably the calmest, most meditative time I get in a day. On days when I can’t ride, I miss it, both physically and mentally.
There are a few sections of my ride that have to cross or follow relatively major streets, and that’s where things get a bit interesting. The worst street I ride on is 32 Ave, between the fire hall and the University. It’s only about 4 blocks, but it’s by FAR the scariest part of my ride. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been almost run off the road by aggressive and dangerous drivers – occasionally with undergrads gleefully shouting “get a car!” (btw, I have a car. a pretty nice one. I leave it at home so my family is mobile – I choose not to drive to work). On this stretch of road, I’ve been nearly run over by Hummers, Escalades, giant monster pickup trucks, city buses, and puny foul-belching shitboxes driven by students.
After 32 Ave, the rest of the ride is pretty tame. Even crossing Nose Hill Drive is pretty simple, given enough patience (I did something REALLY stupid at that crossing early in the year, and almost got creamed as a result. now I’m perfectly happy to wait patiently for a break in traffic before crossing, rather than trying to aggressively steamroll through).
One thing I’ve come to realize is that there are 3 basic types of drivers in Calgary.
- safe, friendly, and courteous
- mildly dangerous, oblivious morons
- completely dangerous, aggressive assholes
Unfortunately, the ratio seems to be roughly 1:100:10, with morons outnumbering assholes, who in turn greatly outnumber the safe drivers. There are some really great people out there, who are aware that there are people outside the boundaries of their SUVs or minivans, and work with the bike riders to make things go smoothly. Then, there are the complete assholes, who blow aneurysms if they have to let off the gas pedal for more than 1 second, and drop the hammer to accelerate as fast as they can as they pass a bike. They have no problem with cutting off a bike, or crossing traffic to get in front of them. I had one Hummer H2 accelerate around a corner, passing me on the right, then gunning it to turn left directly in front of me (without signaling or braking around the corner). I almost caught up to that one, but he got away. Probably for the best, since I’m not sure what I would have said to Asshole Hummer Driver if I managed to catch up to him on my bike.
I’m not sure most drivers are aware of what to do when they encounter a bicycle on the street. Some just choose to ignore it, resulting in close calls and dangerous situations for the bike. Some want to give as much room as possible – even if it means crossing the solid line into oncoming traffic to avoid getting close to the bike. It seems like many drivers don’t have an awareness of the size of their vehicle – they aren’t sure how much room they need to give to avoid hitting a bike, so they just give as much as possible. That is almost as scary as a close call, because the bike rider isn’t sure what the driver is going to do (are they going to pop back over quickly? are they going to see that car coming toward them and then freak out?) It’s best to just give a bit of room without going overboard. On most streets, there is ample room for parked cars, bikes, and a car, as long as everyone is aware of their surroundings.
And cell phones. Jebus. Can we PLEASE pass some legislation to ban their use while driving? Again, I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been nearly killed by drivers who have a phone wedged against their head, driving with one hand (or less, sometimes! I’ve actually seen a driver with cell phone in one hand and a Starbuck’s coffee in the other, trying to work the steering wheel with a free finger!) and not paying attention to the world outside their monster trucks (or SUVs, or minivans). I think I need a Make: project to build a cell phone jammer to stick on my bike…
In September, I picked up a new bike – a 2008 Kona Dew FS hybrid commuter – and that completely changed how I thought about the ride. I’ll write up a post reviewing that bike when I get a chance. In short: I LOVE IT. Before, on my heavy decade-old Sport Check special Scott Head mountain bike, I’d have to be careful because I couldn’t trust the bike (would the gears shift when I needed them, or wait a minute to pop in after I was up/down the hill? would the chain throw as it shifted? I actually threw a chain going up a hill once, and it got pulled through the spokes yanking a couple out). Now, I trust my bike, and it’s so much easier to ride with the giant 700c wheels and 27 speeds. Over the last couple of months, I’ve chosen to ride a longer route because it’s so much more fun to ride. It takes me a little longer than the short route, but I get to ride along the river valley instead of through suburbia. Calgary’s got a really nice bike path system, along a gorgeous river valley. It’s great to be able to take advantage of that. The quiet streets in Scenic Acres and Varsity are a pleasure to ride, and there are always people out walking along the pathway making it feel like a nice and welcoming community.
The city is in a constant state of construction. The northwest has been under continual road construction for the last few years. It’s for the best, in the long term, as eventually the LRT will come to within a few blocks of my house. In the meantime, crews are working on major intersections, including the main entrance to my community. When they’re working on the street, they’re careful to reserve open lanes so traffic can get through. But, when working on the pedestrian bike path, they just blockade it. Find another way. No entrance. Of course, none of the bike commuters pay attention to the signs – we all just continue through the construction zone, going slowly and carefully to watch out for open pits and moving equipment (I was chased up the hill by a dump truck one morning – fun way to start the ride). Hopefully the construction gets completed over the winter, or they recognize that this is the only way for bike commuters to get into the community, unless they want to ride on the major ring road that Stoney Trail has become. I sure don’t want to ride on Stoney. I’d rather risk a showdown with a bulldozer than try to ride with the convoys of speeding dump trucks and monster SUVs racing up and down Stoney…
Another thing I’ve noticed, and I’m not sure if it’s a valid observation or something clouded by my zero-carbon-emissions smugness. The likelihood of a vehicle displaying a yellow “support our troops” sticker/ribbon seems to be directly proportional to the size of the vehicle. I haven’t seen one on a Prius. Only a handful on small cars. And on a sizable proportion of giant pickup trucks, SUVs, and larger vehicles. I’m wondering if it’s tied more to political leanings (are individuals in the right wing more likely to a) drive larger vehicles and b) want to show support for the troops) or to the price of gas (are individuals who drive gas guzzlers more likely to support the troops that are fighting for cheaper oil?)
The bicycle commuting community, for whatever reason, has a bit of a “small town” feel to it. If I stop on the path to take a photograph or stow a jacket, I’ll almost certainly be asked by a passing bike rider if everything’s OK, and can they help. If I was driving a car, and pulled over to the side (say, to talk on a cell phone) I’d likely risk some road rage. Completely different feel. Is it something about removing the protective shell of a vehicle and placing a person back into their environment? Is it the slower pace of a bike, as compared with a car on a freeway? is it something about the type of person that is inclined to ride a bike? Regardless, it gives me hope that people in this city are still good, and that it’s possible to recapture some civility. Maybe if everyone rode their bikes…
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Nice experience sir, I’m a cyclist and I like people passionate with biking, I want to explore the world with my bike…
Darcy, I want to put link this page from my site and may you put link from your site to mine..
Hey Darcy,
What a great post!! I’ve been read your blog stealth for a while, but I loved this post. I came across your blog last year after you favorited one of my pics on flickr (I was a UofC student at the time as well). Anyway, I’m a long time bike commuter, and now ride into downtown daily. I can totally relate to your post. My bike ride is one of the best parts of my day. I know my thoughts are a lot more pleasant when I’m pedalling my bike home, rather than sitting in traffic in a car.
I’m not sure what the answer is to improving that bad driver ratio. I try to do my best to be as courteous as possible while riding, in hopes that will make a difference. I know I can get in the way a bit riding on the road, but I do my best to share the road, and only ask for a small, small amount of patients from drivers in return.
Anyway, I could turn this into my own post so I’ll leave it at that. Thanks for the post (and hummer rants!). Happy riding and good luck on the 3000 mark, and I’m loving your new bike!
(Let the flame war begin…)
Perhaps I should preface this by saying that I’m a cyclist. I don’t commute (cos it’s hard to fit tools, let alone sheets of plywood, on my bike) but I do bike. Used to be either one of my bikes coast more than my car. These days, I tend to road ride around Bragg, or rip up the trails in K Country.
Point is, I empathize. I really do.
But man, some “bike commuters” are real dickheads too.
Case in point… just yesterday, driving over St. Georges Bridge by the zoo… cyclists are officially supposed to dismount and walk the pedestrian path on the east side. Hell, if I were a pedestrian, I wouldn’t mind them riding slowly on the sidewalk. Instead, this bearded (why do all commuting nazis wear a beard?) sports fan rides right down the middle of the lane.
Now, if you know this bridge, you know it’s narrow. We’re going slowly to make sure we don’t grind our vehicles with a little slim down action. But this cyclist was riding down the middle of the lane, and slowly. On the other side of the bridge, a truck had actually come to a stop, causing a big lineup of traffic there. And of course the backlog behind me.
When I finally got to the other side, I pull up to the guy, roll down my window, and (rather politely, I thought) reminded him that he should have been on the sidewalk.
He immediately pulled major attitude, and sarcastically remarked “oh, that sure slowed you down, didn’t it?”
At which point I lost it, pulled a ski pole out from the back seat, and stuck it in his front tire. Very satisfying, that.
Yes…, well, no. But I wanted to. His smug, holier than thou, look at me and how good I look in my lycra shorts (no one in a beard looks good in lycra!) attitude was simply laughable. “All right, Ironman, peace out” was all I said.
Yep, there are a lot of bad drivers out there. There’s also a lot of attitude, and poor decision making in the bike community, as well.
Not you, of course, D’Arcy.
But our roads are just too damned narrow, and not designed for major bike traffic. That’s got to change. It’s an attitude thing, and we don’t have it, I’m afraid.
Anyhow, rants go both ways. Funny, when I was reading your post, I was thinking to myself “please don;t be D’Arcy, talking about this incident on a bridge”, even if I got a good look at my Ironman, and I knew it wasn’t you.
Oh, well… peace out.
That was you! Man, you car-driving… wait. no. it wasn’t me. I’m pretty sure I could come up with an alibi if needed…
I agree though – there are a LOT of reckless bike riders as well. That Nose Hill crossing I mentioned is routinely attacked by bikers, who don’t wait for traffic to stop at the pedestrian crossing, and just plow ahead assuming someone will stop. It has to work both ways – if a bike rider wants respect on the street, they need to earn it, or at least not disavow it.
Bike riders say they want to be treated like a regular vehicle – and then pull crap like blowing through 4-way stops or ignoring traffic signals. Can’t have it both ways…
If I ever become a bike nazi, I think I’ll travel with a dozen eggs with me, and use them.
Now you’re scaring me. I staring bicycling a month ago and just about have the nerve to start commuting (I get off work at 10 p.m. and its 10 miles each way).
On the political ideals vs. commuting methods front. I’m about as far right as them come and very much support the troops, but I’d still like to use my bike to get to work. Good for me, good for my pocketbooks, and there’s the whole enviornment thing to I guess. Great idea all around.
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haha D’arcy in lycra shorts.
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ouch. that’s harsh, man. seriously. well, maybe not. for the record, I have never, nor will I ever, own and/or wear lycra.
Nothing wrong with Lycra. I own it and I wear it. But you always, always (always!) wear something over it.
Even better than commuting on your bike is to not commute at all. My commute is downstairs to the coffee pot. I’m an avid cyclist, but I’m able to ride when I want and in a fairly rural area. That means no traffic and usually when the weather suits me. I’m able to get in about 1,000 km per month.
I can relate to the woes of the bike commuter though. Our urban infrastructure is way too car-friendly. Bikes usually get stuck with pedestrians, baby carriages and roller blades. That’s means you can’t roll along at 30 kmh, so biking becomes a nice thing to do and not a viable method of getting to work. I’ve commuted in several cities, including Montreal, and have had my share of close calls, cracked helmets and other nasty things. Things may change for the better once there is a critical mass (I mean Critical Mass) of riders. Riders have to learn how to be courteous, safe and considerate as well. Of course it’s tough to be all those things with some carbon monoxide spewing behemoth beside you.
Keep on riding, D’Arcy
Harold – I agree. better to work from home, and ride for pleasure
actually, it’d be so much better for the environment and infrastructure if more people could work from home… I’m hoping to make more time next year for non-commuting pleasure rides. Maybe head out to the mountains for a bit…
As a bike commuter myself, I’d have to agree with everything you’re saying. I try to do MacEwan to downtown and back when the weather is nice which requires a lot of time on the 4th St “bike route.” I’m not sure what separates this street from other streets since it offers no more room for riding than any other street. There are a few sections which force the traffic down to one lane and that gives me more space but I believe the best section is after 4th St loses its official bike route designation. I think the bike route sign is just to prove I wasn’t in the wrong and help my wife collect a little more life insurance when I’m run over.
I use my old road racing bike and team uniform ’cause I love the speed and that helps reduce the difference in speed between myself and the traffic. Still, I have the same problems with cars passing and then turning right in front of me. If I’m first in line at a red light, I tend to take up the whole lane as getting underway and clicking into the pedals is a time when any cyclist can be a little shaky and I don’t need someone attempting a close pass at that time. I move over in a few seconds and allow cars space to force their way through. I’d also like to see some sort of pollution laws and vehicle testing like they have in Germany. With the climbs and speed I’d like to maintain, sucking in someone’s burnt oil or other exhausts really hurts.
There is a bike path under construction beside 14th St, on the East side of Nose Hill, but I’m not sure how well it will connect to downtown after John Laurie. It seems to me that most of the paths to the North of downtown are short and connect nothing with nowhere.
Hi I fell up on your blog during a search on “Calgary bicycle commuters…”I have commuted for ten or so years in Calgary and I have to say it has become more dangerous. I am fortunate I can ride on mostly bike paths and through quiet parking lots. I do get nervous on the road, especially with big city busses almost running me over. I am that guy who wears a bright orange traffic vest while riding just so they can’t say “I didn’t see him”. With the growth of the city the driviers have become more ignorant.
I love to cycle commute as well, but Calgary has to be one of the worst places to do it with the arsehole drivers we have here. The municipal support we get is really weak here too. Bike lane, d’uh… what’s that? I dream of cycling commuting in Vancouver, Portland, or Europe…
I cycle straight down 10th Street into downtown from near 40th Ave NW. I got so sick of drivers blasting past my left side with only inches of space to spare, that I mounted a big orange flag and bent it over at 45 degrees to give me some space. I still get the occasional jerk who will risk my flag scraping his car’s paint by driving too close, but the numbers are way down.
Photo of my bike flag: http://www.guydavis.ca/photos/viewer.jsp?id=1768
Great post and an excellent idea by Guy Davis as well.
I want to make the move to bicycle commuting – but would like your opinion on your comment “Bike riders say they want to be treated like a regular vehicle – and then pull crap like blowing through 4-way stops or ignoring traffic signals. Can’t have it both ways…”
Many years ago – we were taught in school that bicycles were to use the road – due to their speed and conflict with pedestrians on sidewalks, etc. Is this the rule of thumb or ideal to try and maintain? Something that we have had to give up with hostile automobile traffic?
What is the traffic law in regards to bicycling in Calgary?
@itsamoto I’d say the law is the law. Just because car drivers are dangerous and belligerent at times, does not give bicyclists the right to ignore the traffic laws… If a bike is on the road, it’s a vehicle and is bound by the same laws as cars. Although (some? many?) car drivers ignore the laws on a regular basis…
Great insight into the drivers in this town. I noticed last year they ran a bike path almost the entire distance down 52nd Street (which is a major part of my route to work) from 17th Ave to Glenmoore Trail. Do you know of any other initiatives by the city to create bike-friendly options like these paths? Is there a map somewhere I can find which gives all the safe bike routes around town?
@Kaldrin the city of calgary maintains a pathways map on the city website.
So, I started commuting last week. There’s already been some close calls and some points I just shake my head at the stupidity and ignorance of the general public. I try to be courteous (though I probably don’t always succeed) and I definitely have my eyes wide open. I know I won’t win in a conflict between a three tonne truck and my bicycle, so I just avoid the conflict. Maybe riding a motorcycle for a number of years helped me realize that, but it’s about the only thing I can really try to drive home to people.
On the whole though, it’s a great experience. I love getting home after riding and getting to work makes the start of the day easier. Stress, is pretty minimal and I gotta say passing traffic that’s stuck by a train is great too.
The only real gripe I have with the path right now is that it is poorly designed and implemented. There’s a few places where the path stops for a bit, then just starts up like nothing happened. As well, there’s two places where they cross railways, which is muddy and dangerous because the only rideable spot brings you dangerously close to the road (which has no shoulders at all… and which people typically travel at around 80kph or more). I wish they would at the very least take care of those railway crossings.
I’m a bit of a fair-weather cyclist, but I live in the UK and as you probably know our weather is notoriously bad even in summertime, so I think I have a genuine excuse.
We introduced legislation to outlaw the use of cellphones while driving a few years back and it definitely makes cycling safer. Not everyone abides by the law, but the consequences for the driver if they injure someone are very severe, so it’s very risky.
you could try using bikepaths along 32ave, if you’re traffic concerned.
that’s a whopping 2 blocks of my 14km commute.