I’m a savvy cyclist

We just got our first big dump of snow this past weekend and I’m itching to get out on my bike. That isn’t something I thought I would write three years ago. I’ve only been winter cycling for two years (this will be my third), other than a brief foray with poor equipment several years ago. In that time, I’ve already become somewhat set in my ways. And apparently, my ways are those of a savvy cyclist.

Shirgaokar and Gillespie (2016) conducted research on winter cycling in my city of Edmonton, so of course I had to investigate. A lot of their findings were very familiar to me, such as barriers like snow clearing, windrows, slushy snow, potholes, aggressive or disrespectful drivers, and traffic infrastructure and rules that are not designed for cycling. Many of the riders reported that cold wasn’t actually a major issue and I can definitely agree. I can dress for the cold, but I can’t do much about the load of sand that stops the snow from freezing and instead turns it into what feels like oatmeal, making it both harder and more dangerous to ride. I also agree that changing the laws so that riding on some sidewalks at least is permissible in the winter would be helpful.

One of the things I found the most interesting was the difference between the savvy cyclist and the right-of-way cyclist. About two-thirds of the participants were like me. We take longer paths to avoid busy streets and stay on multiuse trails, sidewalks, and quiet side streets when possible. The other third of participants took the direct path to their destination and as a result stayed on roads with high traffic most of the time. One of the reasons for this choice is pavement and road conditions. The busier streets tended to be clearer and have fewer potholes and uneven pavement.

Addressing the barriers to winter cycling is definitely a requirement. The researchers investigated how urban planners implemented infrastructure planning as well. The planners tended to use the manuals that provide information without consulting the current riders in an area. This is problematic because those manuals may not actually provide the best solution to get wheels on the ground, or snow as the case may be. And certainly, if we want winter cycling to increase it has to be planned for.

I also had another reflection, though. I don’t get seen by many people because of the route I choose in the winter. There’s even some bike infrastructure I avoid in the winter because of the poor conditions in and out of it. Which got me thinking, if two-thirds of winter cyclists are like me then to the drivers in a city, it looks like there are even fewer winter cyclists than there actually are. We’re not on the main roads, or sometimes even the side roads. As a result, it’s easy to not know that we’re there. This is problematic for two reasons. First, inspiring others is a lot harder when you aren’t seen. I’m quite proud of my winter cycling and I would love to motivate others to engage with it as well. But, when I’m off taking my safe path, fewer people see me. This makes it really hard to reach a critical mass that could drive real change. Second, if we aren’t using infrastructure like painted lanes and sharrows in the winter, then it can be justification to remove that minimal amount of infrastructure or at least not maintain it as many find when the painted bike lane gets filled with snow from the road and sidewalk. This creates a reinforcing loop where you can’t use the infrastructure because it isn’t maintained so there is no motivation to maintain it because people aren’t using it.

I also found it really interesting that cold wasn’t a barrier for the winter cyclists. Is that because they’ve all learned how to dress and adapt. Or are the only people winter cycling already less concerned about cold? And how do we encourage others to try winter cycling who might view the cold as a barrier (I bought my winter bike from someone who decided they didn’t like winter riding because they didn’t like being cold).

What are your thoughts? What type of winter rider are you or would you consider being?