Hi all,

I realize I'm outnumbered on this, but I thought I'd 'splain my
reasoning anyway.

The question is: can the street in the Toronto video, or other,
similar streets, be ridden safely? Or can they be called safe streets?
Those are two very different questions.

I understand that cyclists who "get it" can ride between trolly tracks.
Like Kalle and Bob. Or myself.

But I don't see how they can be called safe streets.

If you tell people where to ride, many of them won't ride there. Or
they'll follow your instructions badly, and butcher the transition from
between tracks to outside of tracks.

A lot of people don't think very far ahead, and simply lack the ability
to plan a transition from in between tracks to outside of the tracks.
And many have poor bike handling skills. Throw in a dark, rainy night,
a few distractions (a siren approaching from behind, just for example),
and you are sure to overtax the abilities of someone who would be
reasonably safe on a normal street.

Again, I didn't intend to discuss what we on this list can do. I
intended to discuss safe cycling for the public at large.

Of course, after seeing all those stupid sidepath photos from St.
Petersburg, maybe the train tracks aren't so bad after all?

John Schubert
Limeport.org