Looks like a great week of riding ahead! I am back in the saddle again after travelling for work for 3 weeks with no bike access. Felt great. I even got a friendly wave from an elderly lady on the sidewalk as I signalled a right-hand turn! 
How was your ride today?
Tour de Bow River
Submitted by billrennie on
Monday the weather was great, but it also brought out our "Tour de Bow River" racing crew. If you want to ride at 30-35 kph, use the road, not the MUP... This morning's ride was very pleasant, other than a member of the racing crew passing me with another cyclist coming towards us and almost forcing him off the pathway. Alot fewer riders today, so I conclude the above racing crew are fair weather cyclists only.
I second that!
Submitted by rustabout1981 on
This is becoming a big problem. And a lot of those riders are making poor decisions, like passing on blind corners, etc... I can see a big accident happening on the pathway along the zoo really shortly. The good weather also brings a lot of newcomers to the pathways who aren't aware that a roadbike is going to come flying around the corner at any moment and hit their dog/stroller/shopping cart.
Gorgeous!
Submitted by Julie Gregg on
What a beautiful ride this morning, it felt like the air had been washed, everything was so fresh and the fragrance of blossoms from all the flowering trees was awesome!
Mopeds in the bike lane?
Submitted by RyanC on
Saw a moped/scooter type bike riding southbound in the 10th Street NW bike lane this morning around 8:15 Tuesday morning, bypassing the logjam of cars to the scooter's left. Definitely wasn't one of those electric assist bikes. Anyone know what the law says about that?
Not a bicycle
Submitted by winterrider on
They are definitely not allowed on the bike paths. I would have to presume that the same applies to bike lanes.
Is that true for electric
Submitted by ryker on
Is that true for electric mopeds that cannot exceed 50km/h?
Gray area
Submitted by DarrenB on
I believe this is a gray area of the law. Mopeds are neither motor vehicles nor bicycles under Rules of the Road Regulations, IIRC, yet they are required to ride on the road like a bike (i.e. as far right as practicable). I suspect law enforcement would rather see mopeds and e-bikes in the bike lanes than taking the travel lane in front of autos.
http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/Content/docType45/Production/MopedPowerBikes.pdf
http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/Content/docType41/Production/small_vehicle_booklet_final.pdf
Thanks
Submitted by ryker on
I'm not sure if I see the gray area in the same way. According to your second link, a moped is a motor vehicle
so I hope mopeds are not eligible to use the bike lane especially if they are capable of 70 km/h uphill.
But is there a difference between a power bicycle and an electric moped-style contraption that cannot exceed 32 km/h? Maybe there is a requirement for the possibility of being powered by muscles?
What got me thinking about this issue is a Kijiji ad (http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-bikes-road-DRIVING-WHILE-IMPAIRE...) for an electric moped aimed at people with DUI convictions. In that case, the moped goes over 32 km/h so it seems to be out of the gray area. The ad indicates, incorrectly, that insurance is not required. Just what a person with a revoked license needs - a conviction for driving without insurance and registration.
Maybe we need a thread just for this topic.
To keep this in the "how was your ride" theme, the other day I was riding my muscle-powered bike at 35 km/h on flat terrain and was handily passed by a dude on a cargo bike with an upright riding position. For a minute it was a WTH moment until I realized that his bike had an electric assist. But he was definitely going faster than the 32 km/h limit for power bicycles.
Gray area
Submitted by DarrenB on
The gray area is how the law would be enforced. I agree that technically an electric moped should not be allowed to enter an on-street bike lane, but at the same time they are required to ride as far right as practicable. Strictly speaking, this would place them immediately left of the bike lane at the right edge of the travel lane for autos, but I suspect that police would not enforce that as the e-mopeds have pedals and often travel at speeds closer to a bicycle than a car.
And that ad sounds like someone setting themself up to be sued (perhaps for multiple liabilities). Not smart.
But what is a 32km/h e-moped with pedals?
Submitted by ryker on
Editing to answer my own question:
According to Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (C.R.C. c. 1038) a power bicycle only receives motor power when the pedals are being turned by your legs. A power bicycle has a literal power assist.
http://lois-laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/C.R.C.,_c._1038/FullText....
Interesting. I didn't know
Submitted by RyanC on
Interesting. I didn't know that power bikes have a required by law speed limit of 32 km/hr. Do these bikes have a governor that limits the speed of the bike even if the electric assist is turned off and/or the bike is going downhill?
No
Submitted by ryker on
“power-assisted bicycle” means a vehicle that: ... (iv) it is incapable of providing further assistance when the bicycle attains a speed of 32 km/h on level ground.
http://lois-laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/C.R.C.,_c._1038/FullText....
Gotcha. So did power assist
Submitted by RyanC on
Gotcha. So did power assist guy simply outpower you, or do you think he pimped his ride to go above the 32 km/hr limit?
Easy to pimp
Submitted by DarrenB on
It is really easy to increase the speed of e-bikes. A lot of people add an extra 12v battery in sequence to up the voltage and 'over-clock' the motor. Plus, many older e-bikes were produced before there were good laws about speed limits. Plus, some manufacturers are building faster e-bikes that are meant for roads, not bike lanes or trails. Specialized, for example, has an interesting model coming out:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/30/specialized-turbo-e-bike-is-too-fast-and-furious-for-the-western/
I have seen a guy on 10 St a
Submitted by amf673 on
I have seen a guy on 10 St a few times lately. Moped type affair, loud and smelly.
Rude Drivers
Submitted by math4life on
Some drivers on 10th Ave SW are speeding past cyclists and cutting into the bike lane to make right hand turns. That is dangerous and discourteous. I was near an intersection when a truck from behind suddenly gunned it and almost cut me off to make a sudden right turn. Such drivers are menaces and should be ticketed. The bike cops were out at 4:30 ready to snag motorists illegally in that lane. Perhaps the speed limit needs to be lowered to 40 km/h on that stretch. In fact, driving in the curb lanes on 10th should be strictly forbidden. The curb lanes are meant for parallel parking and not for passing. I have seen countless motorists driving into the opposite lane to pass me in the 500 block of 10th by that condo construction site where the east bound parking lane is fenced off. Now that is wreckless and criminal! It is reasonable to take the entire lane since it is narrow and everyone should slow down. Many drivers are very inconsiderate and think they solely have the rights to the roads.
Ugh. Rain. I thought I waited
Submitted by amf673 on
Ugh. Rain. I thought I waited long enough but no it poured on me!
Snuck in between storms
Submitted by snowandscience on
Had a great ride around 8:45-9 this morning, smooth sailing on mostly dry roads - then it dumped! Looks nicer for the ride home this afternoon though.
crazy week
Submitted by umgray on
Its been a crazy week 12 hour days as I run the Mayor's Environment Expo, But I managed to bike/train commute with the Folding bike. Lots of conversations and such about the bike. Managed to miss all the storms and look forward to getting back to the bigger bike and the longer ride.
Red Light Runners
Submitted by Smokey Crow on
Lots of people riding the 26 Avenue SW bike lane and a lot of them seem to think running red lights is ok...even veering into the crosswalk thinking that makes it acceptable. Makes me cringe seeing this as it makes us look bad since for a lot of motorists already think we are just a nuisance. It is funny because just the other day when stopping for a pedestrian they seemed shocked and gave me a friendly thank you. Just after that I made a complete stop at a 4 ways stop sign and a driver in the car whose stopped just before who I let through gave me a thank you wave. Makes you think this kind of thing doesn't happen too often.
But either than that it was a great ride in. Rode to Stephen Avenue to pick up some scones from the Sidewalk Citizen Bakery for the office and it is smelling pretty good at my desk right now!
Nose Creek pathway flooded?
Submitted by snowandscience on
What's the status of Nose Creek south of 32nd Ave? Flooded out? I have to get from Sunridge back to Downtown later this afternoon...
Nose Creek pathway closure.
Submitted by 2wheeler on
I rode the Nose Creek path from the new science centre to the 16th Ave underpass and it was all good. The path around the zoo is closed due to high water, but the detour around the science centre is just as quick.
The Bow River looked very angry from the zoo island pedestrian bridge!
10th Ave westbound bike lane
Submitted by Wyldkat on
Police out in force today, looks like they were concentrating on enforcing the no stopping behind Gulf Canada Square and keeping people from driving in the lane further west as far as 7th St SW. Great to see, would be nice to have some enforcement at the intersection of 8th St SW (MEC) where I was cut off by someone trying to squeeze through the light and figured the bike lane had room for him. It would also be nice for some enforcement closer to 14th, though even that is not going to fix the inherent problems with that whole area.
All in all it was a great day for a bike ride, nice and sunny.