Cars and Bicycles Sharing the Road

I'm always a bit leery about riding my bicycle on Calgary roads, given the discourteous manner in which too many drivers seem to operate their vehicles in and around us cyclists.

Of course, in some ways it's not overly surprising that drivers act so poorly toward cyclists, since I am also a motorcyclist and know that many drivers just don't look, see and recognize a motorcycle as another vehicle on the road. It's why motorcyclists need to ride like they're invisible and use defensive driving skills to avoid conflicts and accidents in order to protect themselves.

In regard to bicycles, there is a new Calgary bylaw coming into effect September 1, 2019 whereby motorists driving slower than 60km/h will be required by law to leave a minimum of 1 metre when passing someone cycling. When driving faster than 60km/hr the distance increases to least 1.5 metres of space when passing. Failure to leave the minimum safe passing distance may result in a $203 fine as per the new bylaw. 

Don't get me wrong, as I'm all for taking measures to protect cyclists, and that includes giving my support for the dedicated cycling lanes that have been introduced on certain streets and avenues. I have an issue though, and I'm sure it's not just a sore point with me since many drivers have probably faced the same scenario when encountering bicycles on the road.

• You're driving in the right hand lane on a busy street and come up behind a cyclist riding in the same direction. 
• Keeping in mind safety, not withstanding the new bylaw that's coming out, you wait for a clear lane on your left and swing out and around the bicycle, giving him/her adequate space as you pass and then return to the right hand lane. 
• Now you're sitting at the next light and that same cyclist squeezes past you between the curb and your car and is now in front of you again, meaning you once again must pass them while giving them that safety space of one metre! 
• Sometimes the cyclist can't squeeze past on the right so they go up on the sidewalk or boulevard to get past, or ride by on the left side and cut back in front that way.

Aggravating, right? I mean, you treat the cyclist with respect and give them their full lane in which to ride when you pass them and they don't seem to respect you back. And i see the temptation, with the ability to scoot through backed up traffic and get ahead, but are you suprised that drivers get irate and start cutting you off or getting a tad too close for comfort.

Just like the foolish motorcyclist who's ripping around, weaving in and out of traffic, being a wahoo and going too fast for the road and traffic conditions, are selfish cyclists setting themselves and fellow riders up for an incident or some sort of injury because drivers get fed up or don't care about their safety? Something to think about, that's for sure.