Cycling on sidewalks? Fredericton police are watching

Fredericton police began paying closer attention to cyclists Monday, ready to ticket anyone without a helmet or cycling on a sidewalk instead of the road.

The offences carry fines of $29.70 and $50 respectively.

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"We want cyclists to be safe," Insp. Kim Quartermain said. "We want safety for motorists. We want safety for pedestrians."

Before the stepped-up enforcement campaign, officers distributed an informational brochure titled Cycling in Fredericton, developed this summer to help raise awareness of the importance of sharing the road.

Police also gave warnings to anyone breaking the rules.

"It's about safety and sharing the road and watching out for each other," she said.

Stuck in the middle

Matthew Savage, owner of Savage's Bicycle Center, said that technically police are doing their job. Helmets are required by law, as is cycling on the road, not the sidewalk, he said.

On the other hand, the sidewalk is the only safe place for cyclists in the downtown core.

"I'm going to play Switzerland and say 'I'm right in the middle,'" he said. "I certainly see both sides of it and I think it's just a balancing act."

Drivers in this town can be a little aggressive and a little crazy.- Ron Jenkins, cyclist

But the bike shop owner suggested cyclists on sidewalks at least slow down to a walking pace.

Often, he sees cyclists ripping down the sidewalk at 15 to 20 kilometres an hour, he said.

The way Fredericton's downtown is set up, he said, doesn't lend cyclists the opportunity for safe cycling on the street, Savage said.

"It's a double-edged sword," he said.

Ron Jenkins, a cyclist in Fredericton, believes young cyclists should be allowed on sidewalks under the supervision of parents. He said often cyclists go too fast on sidewalks and don't pay attention because they have headphones in their ears.

"As far as being on the sidewalks, there has to be some give and take as far as the age group, where they're going, what speed they're travelling," Jenkins said.

"Drivers in this town can be a little aggressive and a little crazy."

Meanwhile, he said, avid and experienced cyclists should be applying their cycling techniques to the rules of the road.

"We are a moving vehicle, we should be on the road," he said. "But again … there are people riding too fast on the sidewalk."