Cyclist and Motorist Traffic Blitz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 10, 2001, 09:15 a.m.

Motorists and cyclists-on your best behaviour this fall!

Beginning Monday, September 10, the Ottawa Police, in partnership with Citizens for Safe Cycling, will be conducting a traffic enforcement campaign. This enforcement will target both motorists and cyclists who operate their vehicles unsafely. The police will in particular be looking for behaviours that endanger other road users and pedestrians. With school having started again recently it is paramount to keep our neighborhoods safe.

This campaign will serve to educate both cyclists and motorists about the rules of the road, and will also promote sharing the road. Many of the conflicts that arise between cyclists and motorists are due to a lack of knowledge that bicycles are vehicles and are just as entitled to space on the road as cars, trucks and buses. This also means that cyclists must obey the same rules of the road as motorists. The challenge is to have all users share the road and respect each other.

According to cycling instructor and police Staff Sergeant Graydon Patterson, cyclists often appear to flout the law out of ignorance or fear. "People riding a bike in traffic will do crazy things to avoid being in the path of a motor vehicle, like jumping onto the sidewalk, or switching to the wrong side of the street. They need a wholesale attitude change to improve their safety. Riding with confidence and with respect for other road users is definitely safest way to cycle."

Police officers (some of them on bicycles) will ticket motorists and cyclists for offences and moving violations such as:

running red lights and stop signs
traveling the wrong way on a one way street
speeding, especially when this endangers cyclists
unsafe passing
opening car door into traffic, endangering cyclists
motorists' aggressive behaviours towards cyclists, including
harassment such as yelling and horn blowing
sidewalk cycling
riding without proper lights and reflectors at night.

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For more information contact:

Citizens for Safe Cycling
Jennifer Allen
Cycling Safety and Promotion Program Coordinator
(613) 567-1288
(613) 567-1818 fax
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Ottawa Police Staff Sergeant Graydon Patterson
236-1222 x 5221
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