Sunday, March 3, was sunny and sort of warm, and I used the day to start my season of regularly cycling around the Island, but…

The shoulders of East and West Mercer Ways (the way all around the Island’s 14-mile circumference) and a bit of the North Mercer throughways were unrideable in many places due to the winter’s accumulations of gravel, sand, glass, mossy blowdown, sticks, limbs (roadkills, ewwwwww!) and in one place, an 8-inch tree trunk! Unsafe at any speed on a bike! Add the ever-present moisture on the east side, and it is dangerous to ride upon! With the constant tension between cyclists and motorists (and don’t forget pedestrians!), I try to ride the shoulders as much as possible — which is almost impossible right now.

I have contacted city maintenance to help clean this up, but to no avail. Can they please run the street sweeper around the Mercer Ways and sweep the paved shoulders and sidewalk areas and a foot of clearance over the edge just to keep the extra stuff from coming back on the pavement!? Winter always leaves its debris, and it’s time to clean it up for safety if they can spare the equipment and driver time.

Motorists and cyclists and pedestrians will be happier, safer and more congenial if you will!

Erik Jansen