Begging drivers to understand: when it's snowy like this, the edge of the road is unpredictable for a biker, so I need to be further out in the lane, and also I might need to move out to avoid some snow ridges or some shit so kindly give me the actual space to be safe and stop trying to lane split - ThreadSky

k8thek8.bsky.social • 32 days ago

Begging drivers to understand: when it's snowy like this, the edge of the road is unpredictable for a biker, so I need to be further out in the lane, and also I might need to move out to avoid some snow ridges or some shit so kindly give me the actual space to be safe and stop trying to lane split

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ancientstephanie.bsky.social•32 days ago

Go further out. If it's not safe to lane split, don't give them space to lane split. Once you push them more than halfway in to the other lane, they'll generally take the hint and go all the way to the other lane.

k8thek8.bsky.social•32 days ago

Oh, I know. And I'll take the lane when I have to. There are a few spots where I always do. But it is fucking unnerving to be in the middle of the lane for multiple blocks knowing how many distracted and angry drivers are out there, and I would really rather NOT have to do that for long.

k8thek8.bsky.social•32 days ago

You can feel them coming up behind you, and you can feel when they're annoyed or impatient or just think you shouldn't be there, and a punishment pass has the potential for way worse consequences in the winter

visegripmikey.bsky.social•32 days ago

I do the same. The snowbanks aren’t cleared enough and there’s a skim of ice. Smyth road bridge is like this.

Many suburban sidewalks go underused in Ottawa, the city could easily make some mixed use in the winter. It’s so easy to dismount whenever I’m about to pass the rare pedestrian.

dadgoesround.bsky.social•32 days ago

Although that might not help on the Smyth bridge where the plows often manage to fill in both the bike lane and part of the sidewalk with snow.

visegripmikey.bsky.social•32 days ago

The city should prioritize plowing the sidewalks.

dadgoesround.bsky.social•31 days ago

I actually saw a sidewalk plow clearing the bike lane on the bridge yesterday. I’m not sure I’ve seen that before. It made me happy!

visegripmikey.bsky.social•30 days ago

Wow that’s a miracle!

k8thek8.bsky.social•32 days ago

Yep, I 100% will take the sidewalk if the alternative is some traffic sewer stroad. (I DO love the way the Hog's Back sidewalk has just become a consensus shared path, because I spent a year trying to ride ON Hog's Back to prove a point and I think I did damage to some drivers' blood pressure)

k8thek8.bsky.social•32 days ago

My very favorite "Cyclists dismount" sign was on the bridge at Hog's Back, where the bridge turned into an iron grid. Where you were supposed to stop, IN TRAFFIC, dismount, and walk your bike, IN TRAFFIC, to the end of the bridge 🤣 .... I never actually did obey that sign, don't have the guts.

visegripmikey.bsky.social•32 days ago

Sigh - there are just so many WTFs with cycling infra.

sfy.ro•32 days ago

Yes, this is so key in these months...and particularly for the winter we're having in Ottawa. Frankly, outside of the main downtown core, the (typically empty) sidewalks are also in abhorrent condition so the ONLY option is to do as you've described...resulting in many pissy looks from #autowa.

k8thek8.bsky.social•32 days ago

Ride the Rut!!! (wheeeee)

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