I’m an avid cyclist, but here in Ottawa for half the year it’s -20C and the roads are treacherous. I’d be willing to cycle on the roads when it’s warmish in the winter, when it’s just below zero, but I’m unwilling to have someone who forgot to put winter tires on slide over me and my bike (and I’d need a sacrificial winter bike because the salt water from out streets would eat bikes alive).
> I’m an avid cyclist, but here in Ottawa for half the year it’s -20C and the roads are treacherous.
The Not Just Bikes channel, produced by an ex-pat Canadian, has a video asking why can't people in Canada cycle in the winter if the folks in Finland can?
> When talking about bicycle infrastructure in Canada, the number one excuse I hear is "winter." Many Canadians see the cold and snow as a fundamental barrier to year round cycling. But one city, Oulu in Finland, with winter weather worse than most Canadian cities, shows that winter cycling has nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with safe cycling infrastructure. […]
> I’m unwilling to have someone who forgot to put winter tires on slide over me and my bike
Part of the argument is that traffic should be segregated[1] and infrastructure for bikes should be well-kept year round, regardless of local conditions[2]. If a car can slide in snow and run you over, a distracted driver can do that on ideal conditions as well. If the roads are not in a ridable condition, that means that bike infrastructure is not being prioritized, usually because it is not considered a valid commuting mechanism.
If cities actually make efforts to accommodate cyclists in winter, it actually ends up being quite practical and the temperature isn't really an issue. Montreal is an example of a city that has made efforts to do just that and has seen a huge increase in winter cycling.
The reality right now for most cities in Canada is that the cyclist is relegated to making their way through slush and snow filling the bike line while cars zoom pass spraying them with more slush - of course, people don't ride their bike in those conditions.
