Bring on the winter biking comments.... sigh

So, Councillor Tobi Nussbaum wants to have more bike paths cleared in the winter. That's awesome! But the minute I saw the article, I knew what I'd find in the comments. Wincing, I scrolled down to have a look because I'm mean to myself like that.

And I find:

"You have to be really brain dead to ride a bike in the Winter. Ice, snow, slush, etc. No wonder there are so many accidents. Snow bikers loosing control. Clear the streets and that's it. That`s where you can cycle if you want to risk it."

Okay. Point one: when you start out like that, what it says to me is that you don't ride a bike, therefore by definition you know nothing about it. You're just blowing hot air about something you think you have an Opinion about. But that's okay. That's what the comments section is for. That's why I braced myself before scrolling. That's why we cyclists play "Bike Comment Bingo."

Point two: if your problem is with people riding bikes in the winter in the streets, because of "accidents," then you should be all for clearing the bike paths. Keeps us out of the street. Where we can probably agree we would all rather have bikes be, especially in the winter. Unless you're just bitter towards people who ride their bikes in the winter because, for whatever reason, you think they mock you with their very existence and should stop.

Point three: how many accidents last winter were caused by a cyclist losing control? Hm. Well, it's hard to find those statistics, but so far I can only find a case from this spring when a cyclist went off the bike path and into the Rideau Canal, and people speculated there might have been a patch of ice involved. However, I'm also looking at a report from last February in which there were 140 automobile collisions in a matter of hours and oddly enough no one mentioned any bicycles. The footage accompanying the article is of the Queensway. On which, if I'm not mistaken, bikes aren't allowed. 

And looking at that number of accidents - wow. You have to be really brain dead to drive a car in the winter. Ice, snow, slush, etc. No wonder there are so many accidents. Snow drivers losing control.

I mean, why would we clear the streets if you're just going to drive too fast for the conditions anyway? Seriously, if you want to risk it, just get a four wheel drive vehicle and chains on your tires and you can drive through the snow if you're so all-fired determined to keep using your car in the winter. We'd save literally millions on road maintenance.

(Or you could just get one of these maybe.)