Not Fast Enough

I know that many cyclists do not follow the rules of the road. In fact, some are notorious flouters of these rules. I certainly don't think that the problems cyclists and drivers have sharing the roads are all, or even mostly, caused by drivers, and I do plan on writing about cyclist misbehaviour. That being said, I thought I should write about an incident that happened recently, while it is fresh in my mind.

The other day, I was cycling south on Mount Pleasant Road, in Toronto. I wanted to turn left onto Lawrence Avenue, so I rode into the left-hand turn lane. This left-hand turn lane is rather long, and even as I got into it, I saw that I was unlikely to get to the intersection before the lights changed (in Toronto, traffic lights have visible timers). As I slowed to a stop, a car entered the turn lane behind me. Realizing I wasn't going to make the light, the driver suddenly accelerated, passed me on the left by swerving into the lane for oncoming traffic, and roared through the intersection after the lights had turned red. This was, of course, illegal and dangerous.

I can't help but suspect that had I been driving a car, the person behind might not have driven in such a reckless manner. Some drivers see cyclists as slow-moving obstacles; these drivers will engage in all sorts of dangerous manoeuvres to get past cyclists. Luckily, incidents like the one I describe don't occur very often, but I have experienced several similar incidents.

Was I not moving fast enough as I approached the intersection? I feel that even if I had been in a car, I would not have made the light. Not, that is, unless I floored the accelerator. Anyway, whether or not I made the light is beside the point; bicycles are vehicles, and cars are not allowed to swerve wildly around them.

I always ride defensively. But cycling defensively is unlikely to protect me from road rage events like this. Unfortunately, this is one of the unavoidable risks of cycling on the streets.