Sidewalk update

Weekends are OK but during the work week there are, like, workers, like, working on the new sidewalk. This means that there is a, like, work zone out there.

What this means is that cones have been placed across one lane of traffic to keep cars away from the workers. Then the remaining pavement has been divided into two traffic lanes by the placement of another row of cones. The photo illustrates the problem from my perspective.Every bit of pavement has been assigned to the cars.

It is not possible to ride my bicycle away from my house on pavement without riding for at least a short distance on some of that pavement.

*sigh*

It will all work out soon enough, there will be snow.

And that isn't even today's near death while on two wheels experience. I hasten to add that it wasn't my death. In fact, it wasn't even a bicycle.

Today I witnessed a white car driven by a white haired lady doing what cars blithely do, using all of the pavement because it is an absolute right of every car to drive anywhere it wishes on the pavement.

A motorbike, a moped I think they call them now, was approaching an intersection heading east. A car coming to the same intersection heading north just went ahead and turned left to be heading west by cutting the corner of the pavement on the shortest, most direct line. The problem, of course, is that in doing so the car went first into the south heading lane and then, while now heading west, into the east going lane and into the direct path of the moped. I was far enough away to not be personally endangered but I was close enough to smell the fear. The moped had to pile it into the curb where he was lucky enough to not bounce off into the path of the car. Loud cursing ensued.

The car drove away as though nothing had happened, because, for her, nothing HAD happened.

The new sidewalk construction includes the installation of a new curb along the edge of the shoulder separating the street shoulder from the sidewalk. It remains to be discovered by actual use whether or not this makes bicycling on the shoulder more or less safe. Stay tuned.