Dangerous Driving Charge In Puslinch – Share The Road!
On June 18, 2017 at approximately 9:25 a.m., Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was dispatched to a motor vehicle collision involving a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and several cyclists on Victoria Road South, Township of Puslinch.
Investigation revealed that a Saturn SUV being operated by a female driver was behind a group of seven cyclists travelling approximately 30 km/h when the driver began to honk her horn at the cyclists. The motor vehicle then pulled out and passed the cyclists and cut back into their lane within two metres of the cyclists. The motor vehicle stopped suddenly forcing several of the cyclists to veer off the roadway to avoid colliding with the vehicle and several of the cyclists to collide into the back of the motor vehicle.
One of the cyclists sustained minor injuries from the collision.
70-year-old Lynn GLADSTONE from Guelph has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada and is to appear in Guelph Criminal Court August 8, 2017.
I think the “Share the road ” should be aimed at the cyclists, don’t need insurance , license, and they feel that stop signs and don’t apply to them , , they hog the road , they don’t share !!!
We should all, perhaps, aim not to feel so entitled- whether driving a car, or riding a bike.
Motorists need to recognise that cyclists have every right to the road- even if they want to take the whole lane for safety or to ride side-by-side. In reality this is still less space than what would be occupied by a vehicle. While driving, remember that cyclists may slow you down momentarily, but in reality the delay of waiting for a safe moment to pass is but a minute or two (at most!). I imagine most drivers don’t feel the same way towards tractors or road crews- so why do we allow cyclists who are “in the way” to feel like such a burden? Perhaps it is the culture of “cars first” that has come to dominate in our society. One look at European cities wherein cycling is embraced proves it need not be this way. On the flip-side cyclists can certainly also do their best to make it easy for cars to pass. This, in my opinion, is “sharing the road.”
Greybeard: I challenge you to ask yourself honestly if you think all cyclists break the law, and conversely if all motorists follow it. I think we can agree that this is an over-generalisation, perhaps based on a confirmation bias ( could it be that every time you see something you don’t like it sticks with you, but you wouldn’t similarly remember behaviour by a motorist?). I will also point out that the vast majority of people who cycle (beyond children) are cyclists AND motorists. We have licenses, we have insurance, and we also pay taxes for the roads on which we ride. I have lived in places where more of the population drive both cars and bikes and my humble observation is that when you can see both sides of cycling and driving, it is easier to empathise with the plight of the other side – thus there is far less friction. We’re all just trying to do our thing. It doesn’t have to be US against THEM.
I encourage you to grab a bike and try cycling in our beautiful community, maybe you’ll like it! Feel the roads are too dangerous? Then help do your part as a motorist and make it safer for those who are out there, sharing their portion of the road.
Hi, i feel the need to jump in and clarify a little… in wellington county cyclists do NOT have the right to ride side by side on a roadway. They must ride single file unless passing. Also, they are not able to take the whole lane if a car is approaching, they must, if safe to do, move as far to the right as possible to allow vehicles to pass.
Hi KJ,
Thanks for you comment.
In my opinion, law or not, this is common courtesy- and even if riding single file cyclists should make it as easy as possible for cars to pass without putting themselves at risk. I do believe, however, this means a cyclist can take as much of the lane as they need in this regard (for example, when the side of the road is unsafe).
The side-by-side riding is certainly controversial, I know a number of municipalities are grappling with this (Toronto allows it, KW is debating it). Perchance, do you have a reference to the Wellington County specific guideline? Would be a great reference to share with others.
Cheers
Agreed. Re the side by side – last summer during cycling season I actually called Wellington county OPP and asked that specific question. The officer confirmed that it was illegal to ride side by side unless passing another cyclist or for a specific safety reason, such as obstacle avoidance. I don’t have the specific law reference though.
There was confusion because local papers had talked about Waterloo region debating allowing 2 abreast on REGIONAL roads only… And people were confused whether this would apply to Wellington Cty as well.
Hi,
Kudos to KJ and C&M for a refreshingly respectful discussion on the topic. I thought it might be useful to provide a quote from the most recent amendment to the Ontario Highway Traffic Act:
(see http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2364)
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147.1 (1) Subject to subsection (2), a cyclist travelling upon a roadway shall, where practicable, proceed in the right-hand lane then available for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.
Exception
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply if any of the following circumstances exist:
1. The cyclist is overtaking and passing another cyclist or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
2. The cyclist is preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
3. The cyclist, by exercising reasonable caution, is avoiding fixed or moving objects, including vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals or surface hazards.
4. The cyclist is proceeding in a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and another vehicle to travel safely side by side.
5. The cyclist is proceeding side by side with another bicycle.
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Note that it states that a cyclist is not required to keep right if the lane is not wide enough to occupy a passing vehicle (plus 3-5 feet depending on the speed limit). Note also that it explicitly allows cyclists to ride two abreast. Some jurisdictions have enacted legislation that prohibits this but to my knowledge Wellington County is not one of them. Unfortunately, police officers often lack education in these matters and unknowingly contribute to the spread of misinformation. I applaud them however for laying appropriate charges in this incident.
Stay safe everyone, regardless of your chosen mode of transport.