Full disclosure right up front on this one: I frequently commute to work on my bike from North Vancouver but I also drive to the office more than I should or would like to. I will also concede that as a driver I have had words for cyclists and as a cyclist have had other words (well, okay, “similar” words) with drivers. Over the years, I have had three bike crashes but none involved cars and all were my own fault for riding too fast for the conditions. Having said that, however, where cars and trucks are concerned, I have held my breath hundreds of times, cringing and waiting for that “smashing” feeling as they whiz past within a few inches of my knee or elbow. I really don’t enjoy this and have a hard time maintaining that “zen” feeling which riding my bike usually gives me. As I get older, that lovely sense of invulnerability that I had when I was a teenager and into my early 20s has almost completely eroded.
Some drivers do seem to think that they are entitled to the full width of the road or the lane that they are in and at the same time seem to forget that bicycles are also real vehicles under the laws of this land and have rights too.
There are laws in at least 20 American states imposing penalties for drivers who do not obey the “3 foot rule”, i.e. cars that pass cyclists giving the cyclist no less than a 3 foot (1 metre) margin or clearance, and a number of other laws requiring passing at a “safe distance”. In 2010, an Ontario MLA intended to bring in a private member’s will to amend the Highway Traffic Act to add the 3 foot rule, but it seems to have fallen by the wayside. In some BC cities, you will see “share the road” signs, which are a great idea, along with designated bike lanes at the edge of the road. But they are not everywhere that you will find people who like to ride their bikes. It would be great to see the 3 foot rule become law here in BC (like the “bus yield” law which really improved life for our bus drivers and their passengers) but until that happens, perhaps we can all pass the word around and drive in such a way that we give cyclists that 3 foot clearance we/they need to be, and feel, safer on the road.
Sure, I agree with the anti-bike people that there are cyclists out there who flaunt and ignore the rules of the road but, really, is that a good reason to run them off the road, cut them off, squeeze them out or even stop and back up into them (as one crazed Australian driver did not so long ago)? Drivers, remember that you are in control of what amounts to a 3,000 pound weapon (or worse). You clip another car, it’s likely just a fender bender; you clip a cyclist, you could well kill him or her. Even from a “let the punishment fit the crime” standpoint, there is no reasonable or logical basis for the driver of a car or truck to take out their momentary frustration on an unprotected, defenceless cyclist. Usually what you, as a driver, are looking at is a cyclist who is riding too slowly and who may be blocking your progress for a few seconds – are a few seconds more to get to your destination really worth risking someone else’s life or livelihood and your own future once the legal consequences have fully played out? I don’t think so. Driving and riding safely is good for everyone. So let’s work on it: patience and civility from both sides to each other and that 3 foot imaginary line from us, the drivers.
It’s really only the “thoughtful” thing to do!