Excellent letter.
A couple of years ago my wife and I decided to take my two sons, then eight and ten, to the downtown library for an event. My kids had been riding the streets of Old Strathcona with us for years, and we considered them seasoned bike riders, as much as children can be.
In retrospect it was a bad idea. We crossed the High Level Bridge without a problem and rode comfortably up the Railtown path. As soon as we left the safety of the multi-use trail to head east on 102 Avenue, though, our trip became a scary, tense experience.
The road was wide, menacing and full of fast-moving cars. The kids took the sidewalk and we kept pace with them on the street, trying to avoid getting hit ourselves whilst coaching the kids on what to do at each intersection. We got dirty looks from pedestrians on the sidewalk (I can’t blame them) and honks from the cars on the road. We were so relieved to finally reach the library, and when it was time to go home we decided to just walk the bikes southeast to the nearest river valley trail.
The bottom line: when it comes to riding a bike, our downtown core is no place for any but the most experienced, bravest of bike riders. Only the one per cent of people who identify as “strong and fearless” are willing to enter the core on their bikes, leaving the rest of us on the outside looking in.
http://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/c...r-for-cyclists