ATV debate raises concerns about two-wheeled road users

Speaking of societal shifts to multi-modal travel (see Clearview proceeds with traffic assessment study, p. 3) throughout the entire ATV debate we were amazed by how many people would say to us, “I don’t care about those ATVs, it’s the bicycles!”
It didn’t take much prodding to get them to elaborate. A large number of people told harrowing stories of close calls with cyclists who enjoy long rides on our winding scenic roads, sometimes in large packs. The municipality cannot do anything to restrict bicycles on the roads but clearly there is more work to be done in the share-the-road campaign.
It comes back to changes in road use trends – that societal shift. Our foreparents never would have imagined that there would be so many people decked out in what would be to them space-age gear riding hundreds of kilometres, for fun! If they had thought it possible, they would have designed the roads to have bike lanes, or paved shoulders at minimum. The fact that they haven’t been added as roads are improved, well that’s on this generation.
We have all had harrowing experiences as we come up on a big group of cyclists, on River Road for example. It is a true test of patience to stay behind, and not pass until it is safe to do so (which can take a long while). One hopes there is a good podcast playing and an extra 15 minutes on the clock.
The fact that so many people shifted the conversation from ATVs to bikes, shows that there is an even bigger conflict brewing below the surface. It should be addressed through the traffic study, and hopefully there will be recommendations on how to better manage the debate.