LONDON, ONT. -- Cyclist Jesse Cablek has started a petition to the city of London, asking for more space to be provided for pedestrians and cyclists to practice physical distancing.
In 24-hours the petition has over 100 signatures.
“The current situation (COVID-19) necessitates physical distancing to keep ourselves and members of our community safe,” says Cablek.
Cablek says he started the petition after noticing that more locals are opting to ride their bikes or walk to their destinations instead of taking transit or driving. This means more foot traffic, and less space to navigate safely.
“Someone could say there is a reduction is traffic and that is absolutely correct, and that there is more space on the streets, also correct. [But] thats also bringing upon more issues such as speeding… recent news reports show an increase in speeding which, in turn, poses an even greater risk to cyclists/pedestrians, especially as they make space for one another.”
Cablek says while the Thames Valley Parkway is great for connecting pathways through parks, it's definitely not wide enough to maintain six feet of distance and is often much busier than city streets.
He is petitioning the city “to consider opening more space to allow for distancing by closing down curb lanes of four-plus lane roads. This would ensure that pedestrians and cyclists don’t need to consider walking/cycling across private property or onto roadways to maintain a safe distance from one another,” says Cablek.
Cablek suggests setting up pylons to temporarily block a lane or put up a sign to note the closure.
You can check out the petition here.
