Share the Road

Spring has arrived and that means it is time to share the road again. I will be the first to admit that the cyclists that emerge as the snow melts often annoy me. But since taking up running I have found that a nice outdoor run can make a 16 km trek feel a lot better than 60 some laps around a track at millennium place. That being said it is a little hard to make a 16km path through my 3 km subdivision and I have been forced to take to the range roads. We don't have the luxury of sidewalks or bike/running paths out in the country so I resort to the shoulders of said range roads. What I have also realized about running outside is that 10, 12 or even 20 km is a lot farther than you would think. The route you have to map out to accomplish these distances are a lot longer than you would think and I now can see why some cyclists are forced to take to the roads in order to get routes in that accommodate their distance requirements. So here I am faced with a dilemma. For once I actually feel sorry for the cyclists who are stuck, having to bike on roads with little sympathy or consideration from drivers. Especially outside the city where our options are very limited. So I suggest the following compromise: Cyclists and runners, single file and stick to roads with as wide of shoulders as possible (this eliminates baseline road east of sherwood park). Take to the ditch when necessary and respect that you are on a road. Drivers, respect that we are exhausting all options by running or biking on the road. We don't want to be on these shoulders anymore than you want us there. But, give us a little courtesy and slow down or go around us when possible (no oncoming traffic) it makes a huge difference for us, the sideliner. And lets face it, if we crash, you will be fine, we will probably not make it. So that being said lets share the road, safely. I never thought I would be an advocate for the road bikers/runners but now that I have had my own eye opening experience I can see both sides a little more clearly and openly. 

Happy Spring