A Message from our Editor
Fifteen years ago, when I moved to Southern Georgian Bay, I would take to the roads on my bike and rarely come upon another cyclist. At that time, golf was just taking its place as the “green season” activity here, and the region was fairly firmly positioned as a retirement community.
What a difference a decade-and-a-half can bring. Today, there are far more people like me – young professionals who have moved to the area to enjoy an active recreational lifestyle in this four-season wonderland. And those young professionals love to cycle. On pretty much any day of the week, and especially on weekends, our roads are dotted with cyclists riding alone, in pairs or in packs. Some are training for races, triathlons or charity rides. Others are getting their exercise while taking in the beauty that can be best enjoyed from the vantage point of a bicycle.
In writing the feature articles on cycling for this issue of On The Bay, I was struck by just how prevalent cycling has become in our community. I was also excited that cycling is bringing such amazing benefits to our area, from tourism to economic development. And I was horrified by some of the stories I heard – of cyclists being “buzzed” by cars and trucks, being literally run off the road, sworn at, spit at, even forced into a game of chicken by an oncoming car swerving across the centre line towards a cyclist. And these terrifying situations didn’t happen on Highway 26 at “rush hour”; they were on the back roads in the early morning or evening or even on a weekend. Where does anyone have to be that waiting five or 10 or 20 seconds to safely pass a cyclist is such an all-fired inconvenience?
Sure, I drive a car, and sure, I’ve found myself annoyed at being stuck behind a cyclist or group of cyclists on a two-lane road with no shoulders, with oncoming traffic making it difficult if not impossible to pass a cyclist safely. But do I lose my temper and put the cyclist’s life in danger by “buzzing” by too close? No, I do not. Because I know how scary it is to be on a bike with no padding, no safety equipment beyond a helmet, just my all-too-breakable body and a few pounds of twisted carbon fibre against 4,000 pounds of speeding steel.
So I was thrilled when the Ontario Ministry of Transportation enacted a new amendment to the Highway Traffic Act this fall, which not only makes clear that bicycles are vehicles with the same right to be on the road as cars, trucks, farm machinery and Mennonite horse-drawn buggies, but also decrees that motorized vehicles passing a bicycle must stay at least one metre away as they pass.
Everyone I interviewed – avid riders all – freely admitted that cyclists not only have rights but also have a duty to ride safely and not behave foolishly or aggressively on the roads. They have the same legal responsibility as other vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act. But if you are overtaking a slower vehicle – including a cyclist – the onus is on you to do so safely, and if you can’t leave at least a metre of space between your huge hunk of metal and a vulnerable cyclist, will it kill you to wait until it’s safe to pass? No, but it might kill the cyclist if you don’t.
The reality is, bicycles are here to stay, and there will likely be even more of them on our roads in the coming years. This is a good thing – it means more demographic diversity and a healthier, more active population, not to mention a healthier, more active economy.
Those cyclists – who are simply engaging in an activity they love – are someone’s mother, father, brother, sister, daughter, son, coworker. They may even be yours. I hope my stories in this issue of On The Bay will help educate, edify and draw attention to the joys, benefits and safety issues surrounding this next phase of our life cycle in Southern Georgian Bay – as a Mecca for those who fall in love with our region from the saddle of a bicycle. So, please, drive safely and share the road with patience – if not because it’s the right thing to do, then because it’s the law. ❧
