Life in the (Winter) Bike Lane

If you think it takes a little extra dose of crazy to commute by bike in the winter, you’re right. As if the challenges of fair-weather commuting aren’t bad enough, winter adds a whole new level of danger that can make your commute feel a bit like one of those crazy Japanese game shows where people navigate some ridiculous obstacle course, only to land face-first in a puddle of sludge.

But this, ladies and gentlemen, is Winnipeg – where we load the groceries into the house in one trip, no matter how many bags we have. If you want easy, move to fucking Copenhagen. And take me with you. Please.

The City does a great job of keeping our bike commutes super exciting, adding obstacles at every turn and offering a wide variety of fun terrain to ride through.Where the city folks fall down, the public sector is all too happy to step up. Pedestrians help keep us sharp by darting in our path without looking. Thankfully they are bundled up in layers of nice puffy clothing to protect them from the snow and cold, so if you hit one it doesn’t hurt as much.
By the way, I stopped and turned around to take a picture of this pedestrian, who did wait (right on the edge of the white line) until I passed to cross the bike lane. Right after that, the plow started driving towards me so I had to get moving!

As far as providing creative challenges that are almost beyond comprehension, delivery and moving vehicles take the top podium spot for sure.This fellow is actually parked right in a buffered bike lane. I suppose I shouldn’t judge though – the signage, after all, can be open to interpretation.Of course I understand that sometimes these things can’t be helped. Sometimes, you need to do whatever is necessary for your own convenience regardless of others. So I hope nobody minded that I had to park my bike here to quicky to run an errand when there was no convenient bike parking available.

I can hardly wait to see what’s in store for my ride home in the dark. Bring in on Winnipeg – it’s going to be awesome!