If you choose to use the Cycle Track on Jefferson, please remember two things:
- You are only protected when you actually have curbs
- Every curb cut is a potential point of conflict...watch very carefully for it and do not assume you have right-of-way, even when you do. This is especially true at intersections!
Motor vehicles at cross streets may have a hard time seeing you in the cycle track. When traveling toward Collingwood, traffic on your left may not look for you when turning right (this is a common human habit and the reason it is not recommended to bike against traffic.
Advocating for cyclists consists of a wide spectrum of what people believe are "good" things that both promote increased mode share, and provide the safest experience for transportation all cyclists. "Vehicular Cyclists", who say they do not need any bike-specific infrastructure (i.e., Bike Lanes) as they already exist...they are called the road. And those who believe that the only safe way to transit by bike is in "protected" facilities (like Cycle Tracks or variations of protection). And let's not forget everyone in between those views, it's a wide landscape of ideas and "feelings".
When We Are Traffic was founded in 2012, we struggled with where we fell within that advocacy space. Are bike lanes good infrastructure...or bad? Can you educate enough to promote vehicular cycling or will it continue to be a very small percentage of commuters? If I used political parties as an analogy, we're probably moderates. Every cyclist must determine their "path" based on education, experience, and risk tolerance. We're not suggesting that cycling is inherently dangerous, quite the contrary. However, every activity has associated risks, some can be mitigated while other can not. We recognize that just like most things, there will be "good" facilities and "bad" ones. Therefore, our goal is to help cyclists identify those inherent risks as they navigate as-built infrastructure. It is hard to guard against a danger if you are not aware it exists. You CAN NOT rely on "feeling safer", that is only a feeling!
We Are Traffic opposed the original design for the Jefferson Cycle Track once the details were made available. The City of Toledo decided to proceed anyway after our many proposals for better alternatives for this roadway. We are thankful that the City did incorporate some of our suggestions to help mitigate some of the issues. To learn more about why we opposed, and the alternatives propose, you can find the history here.
