Don't Be Invisible

I'll always remember an incident that occurred late one night, many years ago. I was heading south on Sherbourne Street and was planning on making a right at Bloor Street. The sky was fully dark, and a heavy rain was falling. The bright street lights were reflected in the wet roads and sidewalks. As I approached Bloor, I signalled right, did a shoulder check, and made my turn, seemingly without incident - or so I thought. After a few moments, I was surprised by an angry cyclist pounding on my passenger-side window. I can only assume that I had cut him off when I had made my right turn.



At first I was mortified. I could have badly injured the cyclist or even killed him! However, as I watched him bike away, I noticed a couple of things that made me feel considerably less guilty: He was dressed entirely in dark or black clothes (as I recall, he was wearing a black leather jacket and blue jeans), and more importantly, he had no lights on his bike. Now, I'm normally a very careful driver, and I always check over my shoulder before making turns. I'm sure I didn't see the cyclist because, with the light conditions as they were, he would have been almost impossible to see. I wish that I had had a chance to speak to this cyclist that night; I would have told him that he was actually lucky to be alive, and that it was not at all surprising that I had accidentally cut him off.



Every time I ride my bike at night, I am amazed at how often I see cyclists wearing dark clothing and not using lights. Those who do this are playing with their lives! Why be camouflaged? My philosophy is that cyclists should be unmissable at night.



Here are some recommendations:



Bikes should always be equipped with very bright front and back lights. These lights need to be bright, or they are next to useless. I set my lights to flash because they are much more noticeable this way. I recommend using rechargeable batteries for bike lights; even though these batteries are initially more expensive, over time they pay for themselves many times over. And with rechargeable batteries, it costs nothing to swap them out often, thus assuring that the lights are always at full strength. I also recommend wearing a bike vest or jacket; these come with very effective reflecting strips that are much more powerful than the reflectors that are put on bikes at the factory.



Even more than when cycling in the day, cyclists at night should never assume that drivers see them. It is up to cyclists to ensure that they are seen.

Sharing the Roads

The other day in a bookstore, I overheard a woman complaining about a cyclist who had just run a red light. In doing so, this cyclist had cut in front of the woman's path, nearly causing a collision.This woman had a legitimate complaint, obviously, and she had every right to be annoyed. Unfortunately, her complaint is one that can be made all too often by motorists.



After I left the bookstore, I witnessed several more examples of reckless cycling occur within the five minutes it took to walk to my bike and unlock it. Three cyclists in a row blew through a red light as though it weren't there. And more seriously, a seemingly crazed cyclist cut off a motorist as they were both proceeding down the road. The driver was in the left lane, and the cyclist in the right. The cyclist, seeing her way blocked by a parked van, abruptly swerved into the left lane, thereby cutting off the driver. The cyclist hadn't even signalled the lane change, and the driver had to brake and even move a bit out of his lane to avoid hitting the cyclist. After this, the driver rightfully honked; whereupon the cyclist had the temerity to tell him off and give him the finger!



The two biggest problems that I see on a regular basis are running red lights and reckless cycling. I am amazed at how often I see cyclists brazenly ride through red lights. I don't know why these cyclists think the rules of the road don't apply to them. What are motorists to think, seeing cyclists run red lights so often? I believe that this is a major contributor to the stress between the two camps. It is galling to see it happen over and over; it is like these cyclists are thumbing their noses at everyone who is waiting for a green light. As a cyclist, I am perhaps more annoyed by it than are motorists, because I know that it will only confirm some motorists' dim view of cyclists. Many drivers feel that cyclists should not even be on the roads, period; running red lights only confirms them in this opinion.



As for reckless cycling, I find it to mostly be a problem in the downtown of my city (Toronto). Often, these reckless cyclists are bike couriers. They veer wildly all over the road, swerving between temporarily stopped cars as if on an obstacle course. This is incredibly dangerous behaviour, but for many couriers, traffic rules are something to be ignored.



Cyclists shouldn't give motorists good reasons for their animosity. No wonder motorists are miffed! Who likes to see people flout rules that you follow? If cyclists are going to share the roads with motorists, cyclists will have to share the rules as well.