Bicycles
A bicycle is a cheap, healthy and environment-friendly way to travel. Bicycles can be bought at a department store or a sports store. You can also buy a used bicycle through classified ads in the newspapers or on the Internet.
Bike shops offer bicycles to buy or rent as well. If you want to rent a bicycle, look in the Yellow Pages or do an Internet search using the keywords ‘bicycle rental’. By law, in NL everyone must wear a helmet when riding a bicycle.
Cycling Rules
Drivers and cyclists generally have similar rights and duties under the NL HTA. Thus HTA laws relating to traffic officers, signs, signals, yielding, etc generally apply to both drivers and cyclists. The HTA states that a person riding a bicycle upon a highway has the same rights and duties as a driver.
Riding a Bicycle In the Province
Partly because of long and cold winters, and perhaps for lack of tradition, bicycle riding is not overly popular in NL for everyday transportation. There is also a lack of facilities such as bicycle lanes and parking racks. However, more and more people in NL are taking up cycling as the transportation of choice — for transportation, keeping fit, recreation, and to help conserve energy and reduce environmental pollution.
Cities like St. John’s are recognizing this trend, and are starting to include cycling facilities in their infrastructure development plans.
You do not need a driver’s licence to ride a bicycle.