Yeah I learned this first hand in Ontario. I refuse to ride on the road in that province and only ride on sidewalks. When I get questioned by police I cite my right to not follow law that puts me in danger. I found out after following the road laws and being struck by a truckhole with an attitude that OPP will not do shit if you get hit because as a cyclist you are uninsured. Unless you die, its a ‘collision’ with an uninsured vehicle taking the only damage in their eyes.
That’s something I wish was do able in Ontario. Cars are downright hostile to cyclists here. One in 300 will actively try to “buzz” you or “roll coal” you in bike lanes or intersections. Even biking with my kids exclusively in protected lanes and using pedestrian crossings I’ve had more close calls than I can count. Some of these drivers (willingly or thorough sheer carelessness) go out of their way to endanger CHILDREN.
Driving on the road taking up a lane requires a lot of focus and attention to keep yourself safe from the significant minority of drivers who actively disdain you. And that’s when you move to the side to let them illegally pass you at every opportunity. If you tried to take a full lane for any significant amount of time in Ontario you will 100% be hit on purpose. Maybe not every ride, but you wouldn’t survive a summer of “using your legal right to a full lane”.
Bikes are vehicles that can take up a whole lane. To have them walk back the bike lane laws just start using full lanes while on a bicycle.
https://ontarioactiveschooltravel.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Ontarios-Guide-to-Safe-Cycling.pdf
The problem is, people will still be dying and injured without these lanes. Unfortunately this legislation will likely take a lot of blood to rewrite.
Yeah I learned this first hand in Ontario. I refuse to ride on the road in that province and only ride on sidewalks. When I get questioned by police I cite my right to not follow law that puts me in danger. I found out after following the road laws and being struck by a truckhole with an attitude that OPP will not do shit if you get hit because as a cyclist you are uninsured. Unless you die, its a ‘collision’ with an uninsured vehicle taking the only damage in their eyes.
That’s something I wish was do able in Ontario. Cars are downright hostile to cyclists here. One in 300 will actively try to “buzz” you or “roll coal” you in bike lanes or intersections. Even biking with my kids exclusively in protected lanes and using pedestrian crossings I’ve had more close calls than I can count. Some of these drivers (willingly or thorough sheer carelessness) go out of their way to endanger CHILDREN.
Driving on the road taking up a lane requires a lot of focus and attention to keep yourself safe from the significant minority of drivers who actively disdain you. And that’s when you move to the side to let them illegally pass you at every opportunity. If you tried to take a full lane for any significant amount of time in Ontario you will 100% be hit on purpose. Maybe not every ride, but you wouldn’t survive a summer of “using your legal right to a full lane”.