Discussions

and NO. Reason being is many students, whether it be College, Hi School, BU, even work …. is their only affordable transportation, beside footsmobile. Goodness, this is a GR8 exercise w/freshair and keeping fit. Too many of us carry extra weight. Am one that totally enjoys riding my bike and am older.

We all need more regulations.

In Winnipeg people bike all year long. Heck. They even plow the bike lanes for bikes. Why should we tell our residents there means of transportation isn’t good enough for our roads?

Bicycle was my main form of transportation to and from university for 5 years. Not allowing bicycles in winter will negatively affect lower income people. With obesity and pollution concerns in Canada, we should be encouraging active transportation, not discouraging it.

If one wants a cut off date for cyclists there should be one for drivers too. When getting your drivers license there should be a part that covers winter driving too. Too many times people get a license when the weather is nice, come winter they have no clue on how to drive.

Bicycle's should be around 24/7 it saves on gas and is a great form of exercise.

Of course not, especially as the ‘fat tyre’ bikes are now available to cope more safely with winter conditions. Cycling should be actively encouraged.

I tend to agree with most of the above. The issue isn't cyclists. The issue is the city's complete inability to keep roads and sidewalks clear of snow and ice.

I , personally think bikes are a road hazard in the winter. But that being said , if you must use side streets, and stay off high traffic routes like Victoria. Seen one yesterday on Victoria, personally he was creating a safety issue to himself and to vehicles.

I'm just curious what the cyclist population is in Brandon? If I was in the city I'd definitely be one to ride a bike all seasons of the year, and I do find the idea of "bicycle cut off date" ludicrous. When I was living in the Brandon I found the sidewalks near impossible to walk on, cycling on them would have been incredibly challenging. Then having to bike on the road in winter with the inadequate drivers out there would put fear in my soul! Props to any dedicated cyclist in this city!

PG13 nailed it.

If you took motor vehicles out of the city , bicycles wouldn’t cause this perceived problem to motorists . I bet not many people would be supportive of that though. I say live and let live but be careful out there everyone.

Holland if a motorist hits a cyclist under any circumstances I understand that the motorist is automatically at fault. Perhaps we should just give cyclists space as we expect them to do for us.

I'm not a cyclist, but I absolutely reject the idea that they present a danger on the road. You should be driving with respect to your surroundings. Yes, even if that means driving slowly so you don't put a cyclist, pedestrian, or other driver in danger.

Agree.  
Also on a different note it has recently been shown in the uk that drivers see a motorcyclist approaching and then subconsciously forget and blank the motorcyclist out, I suspect the same with cyclists too.

a few weeks ago I was driving down 18th at sunset and met an adult cyclist cycling the wrong way down the road against the traffic. That shouldn’t be happening, it was scary. Class 5 rules should apply to cyclists along with a cycling proficiency test.  
In the uk it is illegal to cycle on a sidewalk although lots still do.

So true. How often do you bike to work?

Since when is it the residential property owners responsibility to maintain sidewalk? Unless something changed in the last few years it's the city's responsibility. Please let me know if I'm wrong.

My fat tire bike works great on all surfaces except shear ice. It likely grips better than most cars.

Its not required for the homeowner to clear sidewalks, but it is requested/appreciated. I keep my 195 feet cleared as best I can. It is however illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk.  
 
From the City of Brandon  
 
"Designated walking/bike paths have a priority to be cleared as soon as possible in conjunction with the P1 streets. Designated sidewalks are cleared after the P1 and P2 routes are near completion.  
 
One side of all streets in the area of 1st Street to 18th Street between Victoria Avenue and Pacific Avenue will have a sidewalk cleared on one side of the street only. This does not i:nclude sidewalk portions that are adjacent to business which thru local By-Law are to be cleared by the owner.  
 
Snow clearing sidewalks outside the above-noted area of 1st Street to 18th Street between Victoria Avenue and Pacific Avenue are confined to clearing the sidewalks that are adjacent to bus routes and schools only.  
 
As per the City of Brandon Traffic By-law No. 5463, clause 10.7 (page 29) outlines the requirements of snow clearing and removal from sidewalks adjacent to businesses. Private businesses are required to clear the sidewalk adjacent to their business before 10:00 hours on each day, following every snowfall. Please refer to the aforementioned clause of the Traffic By-law for more specific details in this regard.  
 
Throughout the balance of Brandon, residents can greatly assist pedestrians and/or delivery agents by clearing the sidewalk in front of their property.

Please cyclists would you fit lights on your bikes for low light conditions to increase your visibility to other road users. There must be a law regarding that but does not seem to be enforced here.