It's been 20 years since I had a bike, but getting one was my quarantine thing to do - besides wine. So, here's a few random thoughts about biking in St. John's from a sorta newbie... [thread]
#nltraffic #stjohns

First, I forgot how to ride a bike. The saying is wrong. Which means I'm slow and wobbly (and generally look like a bit of a dork). But I'm certainly not the only one, so be patient, there's a lot of new riders on the road.

And, it's really hard to ride a bike in St. John's! So many hills! Fast driving! Potholes everywhere! Narrow roads! It's intimidating hitting the road for the first time, and there is still an inherent level of nerves whenever I go out. Be nice.

Just because you WANT to pass me doesn't mean you should or there's room. If I'm puttering along Duckworth, and there's traffic coming the other way... that means you just gotta wait. Woof, I know.

I'm doing my best to bike close to the curb, but conveniently that's also the part of the road that's full of pot holes, cracked pavement and just overall questionable conditions. So the 1 metre rule doesn't leave a lot of space to dodge hazards. Gimme dat breathing room.

Driving close behind me and then revving up to pass me is terrifying. Don't be a weirdo. Why you scaring people?

Maybe this ties back to my wobbly status, but it's not helpful to be treated like a pedestrian. If I'm following the rules of the road, it just confuses things for everyone if you don't also do that.

And for bikers, it seems like we (I use "we" now cause I'm one of you ), don't ride by the same rules in St. John's. No hand signals, going on sidewalks, weaving, wrong way against traffic - this doesn't make it easier for drivers & pedestrians to know how to deal with us.

Overall, it's been a ton of fun, but also terrifying. Infrastructure is another topic, so perhaps the quickest win is education? I've found drivers to want to do the right thing, but just not knowing if they should / shouldn't pass, let me cross the road, etc. We can fix this.

So, finally, wouldn't it be great to see every non-biking member of @CityofStJohns council use a bike for a week to gain a new POV?