Right now, we are in the early part of Autumn, and the days are getting shorter. The road traffic is heavier due to the combination of students and teachers returning to school, and people returning to work from their summer vacations. All of this can make for a perfect storm that can make the commute to work trying to say the least.
For those choosing to get to work on their bikes, the trip to work means that utmost concentration and safe riding habits are key to arriving at work or home safely.
This is increased exponentially when it comes to riding in the winter. Winter riding is fun and can be rewarding if the rules of the road are observed by cyclists and safety measures are used.
Dave Elmore is a founding member of Bike Winipeg and a longtime advocate for commuter biking and bike safety. Being seen and taking your space on the road are two crucial elements when it comes to bike safety. As he says, “Take your space. Stay a meter away from the curb. Stay well outside that door zone. I know it can feel a little uncomfortable when you are out there... but when you ride and take more space, people must pay attention to you more, and you are more visible. Visibility is about being predictable, riding in a straight line and being consistent.”
Elmore has helped design bike safety classes that the public can take at Manitoba Public Insurance. As he says, “The importance of the classes is that you’re gaining the knowledge and a better understanding of where you should ride, and how you should ride in traffic. The other thing that makes it really effective is that it is both in class and it’s on the road. The road portion reinforces what we talked about in class.” Groups of people can contact MPI to arrange a class.
When it comes to biking in winter studded tires can make a night and day difference. Elmore also suggests using a bike that you are not afraid to get dirty. “Choose a bike that you are not going to worry too much about, because you are not going to get a chance to clean it all the time. The salt on the roads can be really hard on bicycles. Be prepared to keep that chain and that drive train lubricated because things do rust up. The less components the better. An awful lot of people who ride in winter, once they figure out the gearing that they like, will go to just a single speed bicycle, and get rid of all the components that just get gummed up and don’t work anyway.”
Elmore also encourages people to keep their bike in good running order by doing a ‘ABC Quicks check.’ As he explains “It’s just checking your air, brakes, chain, and crank of your bike to make sure that everything is functioning properly, and everything is in good shape.
Just because the days are getting cooler and the weather is getting more unpredictable, does not mean that the bike should go in the shed. Commuting to work on a bike is great exercise, and a wonderful way to start and end the workday.
For more details on bike safety visit Bike Winnipeg's website