Most of this has been said but I agree. Kids should be kept of sidewalks. One
annoyance I have occurs when a kid on a bike comes bolting down the sidewalk just
as I am about to back into my laneway. I am looking down the road, not the
sidewalk. If they MUST be on the sidewalk, they should be going at a pedestrian's
pace. Bikes belong on roads. Wheel size doesn't help - I've seen my 6 year old
nephew work up a hell of a head of steam on his little bike and he goes much too
fast to be on a sidewalk.
When I grew up, my parents set limits on where I could ride based on my cycling
experience. eg - you cannot leave our street, you cannot ride on Carling Ave, etc.
Riding with kids is important too so that parents can have confidence the kids have
the skills they need to "survive". Parents should always ride behind younger
children so that they can give verbal instructions to them (John Forester).
I had my share of accidents as a kid - one time, I ran into my neighbour's little
brother and got an earful from his mother. My twin brother drove his front tire
through the same neighbour's front window. Another time, I road over a sewer, fell
and hit my head on a curb and was knocked unconscious, got a cool ambulance ride,
three stitches and one hell of a headache. Another time a kid on the wrong side of
the road and I hit head-on.
When I grew up, Constable Taylor of Nepean Police came every year to lecture us rug
rats on bike safety, with his "Eugene the Marine" haircut (crewcut). He kept saying
"A bicycle is a VEHICLE". I remember one time my brother and I were riding on the
wrong side of the road, and we almost jumped out of our skin when he surprised us
in an unmarked ghost car. I cannot remember whether he just tore a strip off us,
told our parents, or both. I ran into him at an Annual Police Memorial Parade about
ten years ago, and told him about the above. He smiled and said "that was a long
time ago". I'm sure he's retired by now. I hope there are lots of Cst Taylors
around now teaching the kids to ride safe. I remember chatting with another OPP guy
who used to do community work like that and he said he used to sit on the floor
with the rug rats so he was not as scary. He said by the end he would literally
have to peel the monsters off his legs to get out the door.
-Rod P
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