Group rides help new cyclists feel safer on the road
By: Skye Anderson
Desi Flores bikes to relieve stress, but his daily rides don’t always go smoothly.
Flores said nearly five years ago, a driver who was distracted on his phone pulled out of a back lane and hit him.
After the hit, Flores felt hesitant biking again.
That changed a year ago when he found out about Bike Winnipeg’s group rides. Riding with them has now become a part of his weekly routine.
“Before I was alone, so you know, you are scared,” said Flores. “Now I joined the group, and doing it all together, you feel safer.”
Bike Winnipeg, a non-profit bike advocacy group, hosts First Fridays Bike-Ins on the first Friday of each month. The group sets a meeting point and guides riders on a pre-set route to the Exchange District, with multiple pick-up stations on the way.
Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, said group rides can be a good way to get into cycling since you can see and feel what cycling is like with support.
Cohoe says that Bike Winnipeg is working hard with the city to make cycling easier. Within the next couple months, Cohoe will meet with Winnipeg’s city council to discuss updating pedestrian and cyclist strategies.
“When we’re crossing the streets, for some reason, we can’t have a button to allow me on a bike to get across to activate it,” said Cohoe. He added that the bike lanes are not well connected across the city, so you need to “zigzag” in order to stay on cyclist-friendly roads.
Nelson Gonzalez said he feels comfortable cycling in a designated bike lane, but not when he has to share the lane with vehicles.
“I know it’s illegal, but sometimes I bike on the sidewalk,” said Gonzalez. “I would rather somebody give me the finger than get run over or something.”
Collisions kill nearly four cyclists and injure 78 in Manitoba every year, according to Manitoba Public Insurance’s website. Almost all of these collisions are between a vehicle and a bicycle.
In June, a vehicle hit and killed a 61-year-old man on Wellington Crescent, a popular route for cyclists. The street did not have a concrete protected bike lane. Since the accident, the city has recently installed a protected bike lane on Wellington Crescent.
Flores feels safer when riding within a protected bike lane rather than relying on faded paint markings, where drivers can easily invade cyclists’ designated space.
He hopes to see more protected bike lanes in Winnipeg so he can feel more relaxed during his “me time” on his way to work.
