A recent letter to the NOW regarding cyclist safety on urban trails has prompted an immediate response from the city.
Trevor Penner emailed the NOW on March 6, asking for clarification around the rules of the road when it comes to urban trails.
"Specifically the one that runs along Moscrop and Deer Lake Parkway. I was driving to work yesterday and had an incident with a cyclist. Thankfully there was no collision, but it did highlight a conflict in the right-of-way rules," the letter reads.
Penner was driving east on Moscrop and was about to turn left onto Willingdon Avenue. Meanwhile, a cyclist was coming down the urban trail in front of Moscrop Secondary School and across the crosswalk Penner was about to go through. No contact was made.
"While I fully support infrastructure to make cycling easier or more accessible, it seems like this is inappropriate infrastructure for the topography, creating a dangerous situation," Penner wrote.
Doug Louie, spokesperson for the city's transportation services department, said the crosswalk was constructed to accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists.
"To indicate this, we've put in short-dashed lines parallel to the pavement marking for pedestrians. On either end of the crosswalk, we also put in some signs showing it's a shared space," he told the NOW.
Louie added safety is everyone's responsibility.
"You can't put the onus all on the driver and you can't put the onus all on the cyclist, because it's a two-way street. For motorists, that means being mindful and yielding to both pedestrians and cyclists within the crosswalk. For pedestrians, that could mean wearing bright clothing during dark rainy nights. For cyclists, that could mean not cycling too quickly through the crosswalk, out of view of a left-turning motorist."
When asked about cyclist-related collisions, Louie said there have been none in the last five years.
Louie sent a letter to Penner on Wednesday, addressing all of his concerns.
"For now, the conditions at the intersection for cyclists appear to be satisfactory. Should problems be identified, we can consider additional remedies," he said.
