Tips for drivers sharing the road with cyclists

jesse — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:24:28 -0400

Today in Toronto another cyclist was killed by an automobile, something that is unfortunately not uncommon, as illustrated by this map of bicycle fatalities in the GTA (click on each mark for more info):

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Each death further discourages people from riding in the city, as it creates the perception that it is not safe on Toronto's roads. I was an avid cyclist in this city for decades, and only stopped due to health reasons. I obtained my driver's license only three years ago, and since then have spent quite a bit of time thinking about how cars and bikes share the road.

When I was a cyclist I was aggressively anti-automobile. I generally regarded cars as mortal enemies who sought to snuff me out and splatter my brain on the road. Now that I'm a driver, I'm a little less anti-automobile, but not by much. I still regard bicycles as having more rights to the road than I do, and when driving I try to do my best to help out cyclists.