VGC cyclists what do you ride and how many miles per year

[SvennoJ]

HigHurtenflurst said:

I had a similar issue near me...
There is a nice mostly tarmac canal towpath route I wanted to try, I hadn't been on it before as to get to it I have to go about 2 miles by a relatively narrow and busy A-road which leads to a multi-lane roundabout there to serve the motorway. (which doesn't even have pedestrian paths)

After looking it up on GMaps it gave me a route along another river/canal towpath which would take me under the motorway and into the back streets on the other side. As usual I checked street view and noticed at the far end where it joins the back streets there was a "no cycling" sign followed by "private land". From what I could tell it was only the last few hundred metres though so I while I assumed it would likely be a dirt track I figured it would still be better to cycle it for a mile then if need to walk a couple hundred metres than use the roundabout.

Once on it though it is actually blocked off at the very begining by a building certainly older than GMaps. No idea who allowed that route onto Google unless they have taken them from some very old OS maps.

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I managed to find an alternate road route around which isn't too bad on the way there (maybe an extra 10-15 minutes) but there is a long steep climb for when I am returning home.

Normally I don't mind roundabouts yet one of my routes has the exact same problem. The trail along the river has been closed for the third consecutive year now for widening the motorway, adding bridges on the sides. (Not sure what they're doing, it looks wide enough for 12 lanes now lol). The first year they put up an alternative, which was later closed off as well, useful. Since then I has just said find alternative route.

Google's shortest alternative takes me over one of the busiest access point in Cambridge, with a left turn over a dual lane roundabout to get back to the trail. It's not just the roundabout, 3 lane bridge crossings with lanes merging and splitting off for the motorway.
There are no real defined rules for bicycles in those situations. Merge left or stick to the side and cross at the last moment, unclear. As long as traffic is not too fast you can keep up with them, makes merging a lot easier. I prefer a longer detour to the north on rural roads, yet sometimes that bridge over the 401 is closed for construction as well.

Bicycles seem an after thought here in Canada. I grew up in the Netherlands where there are bike paths everywhere. Here it feels like the wild west. This is basically it.


And this inside towns


Only motorways are off limits for bicycles, at least in Ontario. In British Columbia you can cycle on the emergency lane.