Another weekend cycling event had MD residents on the phone to their council looking for help.
A large Priddis-based event on Sept. 26 caused issues with parking at the community hall and posed safety concerns for area residents who worried about driving with a number of cyclists on the narrow shoulders of the highway.
Coun. Suzanne Oel received complaints from people in the region requesting more be done about safety concerns and parking issues around Priddis.
MD roads are popular for cycling events and Oel said a solution is needed for drivers, cyclists and area residents.
“We’re trying to promote safety and reduce frustration on our roads,” she said. “It’s not all cyclists either, but some are giving the rest a bad name because residents are developing a lower tolerance for it.”
Oel said residents are not against cyclists using the roads in general, but would like to see large cycling events handled in a safer manner and cyclists show more respect for the area residents.
“If they’re going to continue to come to the Priddis area, they are sharing the community and need to be respectful and mindful of that,” she said.
The Priddis Community Association has suggested members of cycling groups join the organization to have a stake in the community and better understand the issues, she said.
“We want to be welcoming, but it would be nice for them to understand what’s happening here and have a stake in it,” Oel said.
It would be safer to have major cycling events and larger groups ride on roads with wider shoulders, such as in the Longview area, to prevent serious accidents, she said.
“We need to figure out how to prevent anything drastic and devastating from happening,” she said. “Longview is opening its doors and if we could split up some of the events between the two communities that would be a great help.”
Coun. Delilah Miller said the Village of Longview is prepared to host some of the cycling groups and events as a tourism draw.
“We have roads at Longview with huge wide shoulders and not as much traffic,” said Miller. “Maybe they could work with us and funnel some events to Longview where it’s safer.”
Miller said she is worried there will be a major incident if things continue as they are and believes shifting some cycling events to Longview makes the most sense.
Longview councillor Carole MacLeod said she would love to see the village become more involved with events and boost its tourism industry.
“We haven’t had a lot of cycling events that involved the village,” she said. “We had a stop on the Ride to Conquer Cancer, where they had water and mechanical help and that sort of thing, but I’d really like to see the Village of Longview get a little more involved.”
MacLeod said the roads in Longview are safer and more welcoming for cyclists and would like to see more cycling events in the area.
“The biggest draw here is the ride,” she said. “Wherever they do from here, they’re going to have an incredible view, they’ll have an incredible ride.”
Elbow Valley Cycling Club director Don Hollingshead regularly plans small-scale ride events in the foothills. He said the group is open to working with the MD and joining the Priddis Community Association.
“Elbow Valley Cycling Club would like to be part of that process, of planning for cyclists and making it safer,” he said. “We get calls from residents in the MD too and we would be very happy to be part of the process to ease the load on the MD.”
Hollingshead said while he does not condone the behaviour and attitude of some cyclists who break the law by riding two or three abreast on busy roads, he would like drivers to be more aware as well.
The “share the road” and “ride single file” signs are not effective because they are ignored by cyclists, he said.
“It’s actually illegal to not ride single file, but warning drivers to share the road is, unfortunately, a bit useless,” he said. “They give cyclists a warm feeling, but because they don’t point to a law they don’t really help.”
Hollingshead said moving to a safer area like Longview makes sense because of the safety and parking issues near Priddis.
He said he understands the strain felt by residents in the MD and hopes to work with community associations to dispel some of the stress.
“There has to be some sensitivity to landowners who are there to live and not to be a tourist attraction,” said Hollingsworth. “If we could help by putting in pit toilets somewhere and take care of them, that might help.”
The store in Millarville has been anxious about cyclists asking to use their washrooms because of concerns of filling their septic system, he added.
“Like the MD, we want it to be safe for our members to enjoy the beautiful ride and have a good time on their weekend,” he said. “We don’t want to cause any problems and we don’t want growing animosity.”
