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LETTER: Langley resident says cycling safety requires multi-pronged approach

Cyclists, drivers, taxpayers and governments all have a role to play in making streets safer
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Langley City and Township have invested in creating more cycling infrastructure in recent years. (Langley Advance Times file)

Dear Editor,

Re: [Painful Truth column, Bike helmets or bike lanes, Langley Advance Times, Jan. 6]

Regarding the opinion article by Matthew Claxton, we shouldn’t be trading bike helmets for bike lanes. We should be multiplying or compounding as many safety effects together as possible. After 50 years of bicycling here is my list of compounding safety effects.

1. In the U.S., 62 per cent of bicycle fatalities of any kind occurred when bicyclists had a considerable percentage of alcohol in their blood. Don’t drink and bicycle.

2. Bicycle racers don’t care that much about safety. The most dangerous situation is on bridges like the Pattullo Bridge with one narrow sidewalk/pathway where racers will try to get by you and this could result in getting entangled, hitting the bridge railings, and both parties being thrown onto the roadway. Stop when you see them and pretend to be engrossed in the scenery.

3. About 95 per cent of bicyclists don’t use mirrors. Mirrors are essential for safe bicycling so install one and use it constantly. The only kind of mirror I’ve found useful is the Mirrycle mountain bicycle mirror which extends enough but still has low vibration and can be swiveled inward when parking the bicycle or riding close to obstructions or vehicles.

4. Always ride with a helmet. Read the study “Injuries related to bicycle accidents: an epidemiological study in The Netherlands” which concludes that even in this country with supposedly safe bicycling paths, helmets dramatically reduce head and neck injuries, and deaths. I believe an urban style hard shell type with fuller coverage is safer and has the least friction and the most material to rub off if skidding on pavement. These don’t rely on harnesses that have to be cinched too tight to be effective.

5. Wear a brightly coloured helmet, jacket, shirt, or ideally a reflective jacket.

6. Have bicycle reflectors, and always take a headlamp and rear flashing red light with you as you can never be sure you will be home before dark.

7. Only ride bicycles with straight hybrid or mountain bicycle-type handlebars as they give more leverage when hitting holes in the road and allow more convenient and safer mirror, shift control, and brake lever mounting.

8. Disc brakes are much safer than rim brakes especially in wet conditions. Get these on your next bicycle.

9. Don’t ride with tires narrower than 35 millimetres as narrower tires get caught in ruts, cracks, and grate openings. Studies show that tires narrower than this have higher rolling resistance on warm pavement. Ideally ride with knobby tires as most bicycle paths and road shoulders contain some loose gravel.

10. Bicycle paths, road shoulders, or bicycle lanes are all dangerous in Canada which demands constant attention for survival. They can suddenly end. There are drainage grates in the lanes. Curbs and raised sidewalks catch your pedals. Or pathways might have chains, barricades, or narrowly spaced posts across them. Pedestrians can suddenly walk in front of you. I was caught in Stanley Park with a steel cable dog leash across my neck.

Ben Wiens, Langley

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• READ MORE: Langley overpass wins cycling infrastructure award

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