Christ on a Bike Revisited

We are a couple of seniors who live with one motor vehicle and do our best to cycle not only for recreation but also for day to day appointments and activities. Whether we are going to the farmers market or doctors appointments or to the library we are just as likely to cycle as drive, when possible. I two-wheeled it to Service Ontario recently to procure the new license sticker for our four-wheeler.

We do this because we don't really need two vehicles and because we know that it is better to keep cars off the road both in terms of traffic and what comes out the tailpipe (the vehicle tailpipe!) It always easy in this town because of a sketchy cycling infrastructure. Some of the ballyhooed, photo-op bike lanes are already barely legible and the cleaning upkeep is not impressive. There is a bewildering patchwork of bike lanes and little evidence of a plan. Recently I had to dodge around a temporary city sign planted in a bike lane, then a city truck in the same lane with no one near it.

It's strange because we see more and more people cycling, many of them seniors as well. Supposedly we geezers will spark population growth in Belleville over the next few years, so why not make the city more attractive to those who want to hop on a bike and go, along with those who might choose cycling as the transportation for commuting?



Bike Garage Utrecht, Netherlands

I was impressed by an article on a new bicycle parking garage in Utrecht, a city in the Netherlands which offered its first bike lane in 1885 -- you read that correctly 1885. It is three floors of gleaming double-decker racks with space for 12,500 bikes, from cargo bikes that hold a family to public transport bikes for rent. The plan is to integrate bike parking with the public transit system to get people out of cars with excellent connections and convenience. 

I know, Canada is a much larger country than either Denmark and the Netherlands where cycling infrastructure seems to be a priority. But a major city such as Toronto has been dithering and downsizing a bike parking area at Nathan Phillips Square for years even though the capacity is less than 200. Why are we so reluctant to make alternative forms of transportation a priority? 

Maybe I need to get a couple of Christ on a Bicycle tee-shirts and turn this into a religious crusade. As with most communities in Canada, I always need Jesus as my wing man when out for a ride.