It’s one of the greenest forms of transportation, an easy way to get from Point A to Point B. It’s relatively inexpensive, requires little maintenance and no insurance.
Of course, we’re talking about bicycles, a freedom machine for plenty of children and a preferred way to exercise for so many others. And during the last few weeks, it’s been proving to be a dangerous mode of transportation in and around Stratford.
Since Aug. 19, three cyclists have been struck by motor vehicles on our roads. One incident was in the city’s busy east end, where a cyclist riding on the sidewalk was struck by a car turning out of an Ontario Street coffee shop.
The next two leave an especially bad taste in our mouth because they were hit-and-run collisions. Police are still looking for information to find the driver of a car – described as a blue Chevrolet, possibly an Impala – who struck an 18-year-old who was riding his bike where Norman and Douglas streets intersect on Aug. 21.
Less than a week later, on Aug. 27, another rider was clipped by a car, this time on Road 122 just south of Stratford. While the man, a 64-year-old city resident, lay on the roadway, the driver – a 76-year-old woman – continued on her way. Eventually police caught up with her, charging her with careless driving and failure to remain at the scene of a collision.
Thankfully, as far as we know, none of the cyclists involved in these collisions suffered life-threatening injuries, and in the case of the two hit-and-run victims, they were lucky to only receive scrapes and bruises. It’s possible they’ve suffered some psychological damage too.
It’s evident that people in this area – and likely elsewhere too – need to pay more attention to their surroundings when driving. Too often we’re on auto pilot behind the wheel and don’t think to double check before pulling out, or glance at our mirrors before turning a corner ... and that’s when some of these terrible collisions occur.
Not to say that cyclists don’t make dangerous mistakes regularly, because they do. Too often riders forget they must obey the same traffic signs that drivers, including stopping at stop signs and red lights. The newest trend we’ve noticed among youth is text messaging while cycling. We can’t imagine that’s any safer than driving while distracted by a cell phone.
As cars are a danger to cyclists, cyclists must also remember they’re a danger to pedestrians. The campaign to have people walk their bicycles downtown, rather than riding on the sidewalk, seems to have had little to no effect. Hopefully it won’t take an accident there to change riders’ minds.
-T.S.
