Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Saskatoon
Posts: 92
Bikes: Scott Lightflight MTB, Raleigh Sports 3 spd, Rocky Mountain Hammer, Raleigh Twenty 3 spd, Eaton's Glider 3 spd, CCM Galaxie ladies, CCM arch-frame mens missing model name, Miyata Terra Runner, numerous waggons, and various hulks begging restoratio...
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I totally hear you about the north end! I hauled a new toilet from Centennial Plumbing and a garden wagon from Princess Auto along 51st, in both cases I just went into my belligerent mode and took one whole lane. We do have the right to do so. The one time a car followed me like a guardian angel - I think they did it on purpose. If there is no sidewalk and the road is narrow I will take the whole lane. I feel that I have a right to shop anywhere, and a right to live without a car. My wagon is fairly large looking, so most drivers seem to understand. In fact a lot of drivers are hyper-courteous to me, letting me go when they have the right-of-way, etc. I'm always mentally prepared to write down a license number if I need to complain to the police about drivers who need a friendly chat with someone in blue.
As for 8th street, I tend to go along the alleys or streets parallel to it and then swoop into particular stores from behind where practical. I think 20 minutes in that traffic would like smoking a half a pack of Exports without the filters...
I think a bike is like a pedestrian uphill, so I tend to take the sidewalk going uphill, and like a car going downhill, so I tend to take the roadway coming down. When coming from the eastside with a heavy load I usually take the Victoria bridge. I wait up by that school for a long gap in traffic (not hard to find there) then I coast down the road and take the whole lane across the bridge. I just got so tired of picking my way across that narrow sidewalk there, from pedestrian to pedestrian!
But I definitely prefer to be on the MUTs and the quiet side-streets for sure. I go kilometres out of my way to take the Meewasin instead of car-streets. The air is so much healthier that way. When I have our 3 year-old in his Chariot, I stick to the sidewalk on the University bridge. He weighs about 30 lbs and SUVs weigh what, 4,000 lbs or so?
I plan my routes beforehand using Google Earth if I don't know the neighbourhood. And I'm making notes about what places "go." I mean, I am always looking for car-free places to bike and then trying to link them all together. It really saddens me to open up the paper and see a notice that they are closing another pedestrian walkway between cul-de-sacs in the older suburbs.
Tall curbs are an issue with a heavy load, hey? I would be inclined to bring a piece of wood to lay alongside the curb to make things easier on the trailer if there were any unavoidable tall curb-jumps on my regular routes - I see some people do that at the end of their driveways. It's definitely an issue to point out to city officials.
I guess the most important thing I've learned doing this is not to assume that car-drivers hate you. Cars like to know what your plans are. Communicate clearly with them in cases where they don't understand where you are headed. For instance, waiting at a red light, a driver might wait a car-length back for you. But you might not be planning to cross where they are making room for you. If you clearly point out in mime-ese where you are going and wave them on, they are more likely to be courteous to the next bike they see. Just a thought.
I highly recommend emailling the occasional note to your councillor about good/bad things you experience en route. Lets them know that people really do use the trails and encourages them to think about bikes when planning/budgetting.
We are near Holiday Park, above the water treatment plant, so the Meewasin is nice and convenient for us. What part of town are you in? Do you use studs?