| Bicyelii

AS always, ’'m more
than happy to pass on
- Nitrle information as
provided by Ptupte
and groups of people
who say nice things
about me.

In areeent letter, the
people trom the Society
Promoting Environmentai
Conservation (SPEC,
sounds like a James Bond
villain, doesn’t it?) asked me
to endorse their latest cam-
paign to make the streets
safer for cyclist. No prob-
jem.

Cycling, as we all know,
has got to be one of the
most environmentally
triendly modes of transport
(though some tree-huggers:
think them a danger to the
forest jloor, but let's not go
there).

It is also true that evelists
taking to the
streets here in

“The good

signals

opening the door anv rur-
ther. While vou're at it,
check for large Mack Trucks
and similar door-crashing
vehicles. Phe good ol" fast-
ion shoulder check is a great
habit to get into. Kind of a
“look lots and lots before
you leap” approach.

In essence, the SPEC
people are cuphemizing one
of my favorite slogans,
“Don't Be a Bonehead.”

Furthermore, knowing
well that some people are
dumb but are allowed to
drive anyway,
SPEC has

e Mews

Friday, February 20, 1998 - North Shore News - 37

NEWS phote Cindy Goodman

THE Society Promoting Environmental Conservation has produced a pamphiet outlining how drivers can be
more aware of cyclists on the road. Accidents like this (above), writes Shaun Conlin, are becoming all too

common here in “Bonehead City.”

Bonchead City “dumbed down”

do soatconsid- Ol? fashioned the mighty
erable risk to Motor Vehicle

themselves,
Whar with the
large number of
hapless drivers
out there, it’s a
wonder those
pedal-powered-
people go out
at all.

Specitically, the peaple of
SPEC “are concerned about
the number of bicvelists
who are getting knocked off
their bieveles by drivers who
open their doors without
looking.” A noble concern.

SPEC’s pamphlet mini
bliez of government min-
istries, the BCAA, back page
auro columtnists and driving
schools endorses a simple
procedhre for every driver
of a motor vehicle exiting
their car street side.

To wit

1. Look in the mirror. A
simple look-before-you-leap
philosophy.

2. Use the door handle
but open the door no more
than one inch, While this
second step implics that
there is some other secret
method for opening doors,
it correctly states that we
can signal to others — espe-
cially approaching cyclists ---
that this-here car door will
be wide open in the near
future. And vou thought the
blinkers and horn were the
only signals on your car.

3. Turn and look speciti-
cally for hicvelists: before

“shoulder
check is
a great
habit to

get into.”

Act which has
this to sav an the
matter: “A per-
son shall not
open the door of
a motor vehicle
on the side avail-
able te moving
traffic unless and
aunnl it is reasonably safc to
do so...” See? We're obligat-
ed to pay attention.

Now, if P really sunk my
teeth into this one Pd start
pratding on about how
evelists, in the interests of
safety, actually contravene
several sections of the
mighty MVA. Bur Ui save
that for another day lest vou
think Pm anti-pedalpow er.

In the meantime, Vd ike
to remind drivers of the all
encompassing, Section 149
of the mighty ATVA that is
supposed to stop all of us,
motorist and evelists alike,
trom driving around like
complete idiots.

It reads: “(1) A person
shall not drive a motor vehi-
cle on a highway (read:
roadway) (a) without due
care and attention; (hb) with-
out reasonable consideration
for other persons using the
(roadway).”

Avery clear and concise
law in the place of good
old-fashioned common
sense and courtesy.

Yo dumb it down would
be to say: “Be nice. Don'r
be a bonehead. Be sate.”

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COLLISION SPECIALISTS

B.CA.A. - A.R.A.
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