More on cyclist rights ...

[Avery Burdett]

Since the early 1990's I have been writing on the subject of cycling and the law from the perspective of a club cyclist. Once way back when, I represented the OBC in court which resulted in a ticket for riding two abreast being withdrawn ... and really way back when, I spearheaded the successful fight to get the local by-law requiring cyclists to ride single file removed. Despite these efforts it's clear that what most motorists and many cyclists still believe to be the rules of the road do not stand up to scrutiny. It still remains the prevailing view and attitude that we should just "get out of the way" of motor vehicles. This needs to change and one way of doing it is for all cyclists to consistently exercise our full and equal legal rights to the road. The prize is that it makes cycling safer for all of us. 

There are eight articles on my Cyclist Rights page that address various aspects of Ontario's Highway Traffic Act as affecting cyclists. Sections 147 and 148 of seem to be particularly problematic to many -  both motorists and cyclists.  I cover S.147 on slow moving vehicles in Cycling and the Law.  Covered in Notes on S.148 are key sections that apply to cyclists while being passed.  Both of these articles are especially relevant to our right to ride two abreast in addition to the practice of "taking the lane" that some of us apply.