Cyclists take to the road, but promoting safety is top of mind

By Jacob Hoytema, Ottawa Citizen, May 20, 2019

As the weather finally turned warm on the weekend and the National Capital Commission’s Sunday Bikedays debuted for another year, it feels as though the summer cycling season has officially begun.

But for many residents, staying safe while biking on urban roads is a prominent concern, as many commuters were still in shock and confusion after a collision last Thursday in which an SUV hit a male cyclist in his 50s on the Laurier Avenue bike lane just east of Elgin Street.

(...)On Monday, a “critical mass” bicycle trip that had been scheduled for weeks involved a ride from Westboro to Dow’s Lake as part of a celebration of the life of Chris Bradshaw, an activist, municipal worker and Green Party politician who died in November. Such trips involve a group of cyclists biking together and trying to remain conspicuous in order to advocate for cyclists’ place on the road.

Some attendees said they were newly conscious of the context of their message given last week’s collision.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/cyclists-take-to-the-road-but-promoting-safety-is-top-of-mind

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