Saturday, July 11, 2015

Watch for Cyclists!

I applaud the City of Calgary for initiating the new bike lane pilot project in the city core.  They are obviously well used and very effective, during the summer months anyway.

I have had issues with a couple of cyclists using those lanes, however.

This past week I have been driving to Stampede Park to do a bit of volunteering there during the Calgary Stampede.  On two instances, I have been making a left turn from westbound 9th Avenue onto southbound 4th street with the green arrow turn light in my favor.  On both occasions I have had to suddenly stop mid-intersection to avoid an eastbound cyclist in the bike lane proceed through on what would be a red light for him.

Neither cyclist seemed concerned that he had proceeded through the intersection on a red and came close to being a new hood ornament on my car..  Both appeared to consider themselves invincible.

My word to drivers; watch for cyclists in these cycle lanes who have yet to learn traffic safety rules!

1 comment:

  1. Apparently this is called an "Idaho Stop," and cyclists are trying to make it legal (according to this article in the Calgary Herald). I'm not so sure it's a good idea - it's hard enough to get drivers alone to remember and abide by one set of rules!

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