Video: How To Pass A Cyclist

June 23, 2010 By Joe T. 6 Comments

Toronto Cyclist John Spragge has compiled a nice little montage of videos he has taken from his bike to demonstrate safe and unsafe passing by cars and trucks, from a cyclists’ perspective:

Thanks John. Great video!

Filed Under: how-to, safety, video Tagged With: how-to, safety, video

duncan

Certainly some great footage here, especially of cycling on roads in the north (or possibly east or west) of the city. A problem that this video quickly demonstrates is that there is no safe established passing distance, yet. I’ve confronted motorists who passed me within inches who believed that they had safely passed me. All the reason to show your support for the 3-feet to pass bill tabled by Cheri DiNovo.
http://bikingtoronto.com/members/michaelholloway/ michael holloway

Interesting Post Joe.

The more cyclist’s I hear expressing themselves, the more it becomes apparent that the issue of safety and this perception of a culture of driver rage directed at cyclists, is not just a subjective feeling – but a very real thing.

Is it perhaps that automobile drivers are misdirecting their rage onto the weakest and the most vulnerable in society – heaven knows that’s not new.

Perhaps one can break it down this way: when one is “diss-eased” one knows, somewhere deep down, this is true; one knows their likely wrong because of this ecestential thing that is nagging at them – so – when this knowledge of one impotency turns to rage, (a twisted projection out that protects the venerable self), pick on someone small – because it’s much less dangerous than being likely wrong, with somebody bigger than you.

If this is so, what is it they hate so much if not the bicycle? Is the bicycle a symbol of something that’s killing them slowly?

Perhaps a ‘hair of the ride’ is what is needed?
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Sari

Great video, John! As a highway commuter I WISH people would give me 5ft! Hats off to Emil Anderson Contracting who put up a bike safety awareness sign on their highway construction project north of Vernon BC when I asked them to. It has led me to think that bike safety groups should lobby municipal and provincial governments to put a clause in the construction specifications requiring contractors to put up share-the-road type of signs especially when shoulders are intermittant. On that note, it would be great if someone would design a clever sign that immediately reminds drivers to give us space; and that sign should become as easily recognizable throughout Canada as a stop sign.

I certainly hope that dialogue leads to education on the part of both drivers and cyclists. There are some fairly heated emotions and equally bad behavior coming from both camps.
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