With the number of cyclists out taking advantage of the nicer weather, the executive director of Cycling P.E.I. says now is the time to hammer home the importance of safety and education.
That’s the message Mike Connolly delivered to Charlottetown’s environment and sustainability committee during its monthly meeting on Tuesday.
“There needs to be an education campaign – a solid, good, hard education campaign every April (and) May before the cycling season starts,’’ Connolly told The Guardian following the meeting.
He would like Cycling P.E.I. and the city to do a better job of working together when it comes to getting that message out. For example, Cycling P.E.I. recognizes bike month in May while the city celebrates it in June.
“We need to get on the same page so we can co-ordinate and amalgamate our efforts and have a stronger presence in the safety (component).’’
Connolly said there are rules that exist that many cyclists simply aren’t following. For example, when a cyclist comes to a crosswalk, he or she is supposed to dismount and walk the bike across the street, not ride across.
In addition, years ago, he said, children used to know hand signals because they were taught in the school system. That isn’t the case anymore.
“You ask a kid what a hand signal is for a bike now and they look at you and have no idea,’’ he said. “We need to get back to that strong education campaign and we’re doing our best.’’
Connolly and Ramona Doyle, the city’s sustainability officer, are talking to the Public Schools Branch about getting back into the schools.
Mayor Philip Brown also wants to develop a cycling plan for the city, one of the reasons the mayor’s task force on active transportation was created. Brown would like to see someone from Cycling P.E.I.’s board volunteer for one of the seven vacant positions on the new task force.
“There needs to be an education campaign – a solid, good, hard education campaign every April (and) May before the cycling season starts.’’
- Mike Connolly, executive director, Cycling P.E.I.
Both the city and Cycling P.E.I. would certainly like to avoid another situation like the formerly proposed Fitzroy Street bike lane project that would have seen one lane closed to traffic and dedicated to cyclists. That idea was dropped following opposition from the public and businesses. It would have seen a reduction in parking spaces along the street as well as caused businesses like ADL headaches over deliveries.
“We really, really want to avoid that,’’ Connolly said, referring to Fitzroy Street. “We want to see projects going ahead that are well thought out and technically sound.’’
He added that his organization doesn’t want to gain anything at the expense of existing infrastructure, such as access to parking or driveways to homes and businesses.