On Monday, July 11, 2022 in the early afternoon, a young cyclist was involved in a collision on Muskoka Road in Gravenhurst after a motorist, who was parked alongside the road, opened his car door and interfered with the bicyclists path. The youth was fortunately wearing his helmet however suffered minor injuries when he fell. The 85 year-old driver of Peterborough, ON was charged with Open Vehicle Door Improperly HTA165(a).
As summer is well underway and people are enjoying moving about our communities on bicycles, Bracebridge Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to offer some reminders to motorists and cyclists about their responsibilities while sharing the roadway.
- Cyclists must follow the rules of the road, cycle on the right side of the road and respect traffic signals and signs.
- Motorists must respect that cyclists are entitled to adequate space while operating, 1 metre of space in fact.
- Communication is important and cyclists must use appropriate hand signals to indicate their intention to change lanes or direction and are to be allowed the road space to complete those manoeuvres.
- Safety is very important and everyone under the age of 18 MUST wear a properly fitting helmet for face a fine.
- The parent of a person under the age of 16 SHALL ensure that their youth is wearing a properly fitted helmet or face a fine.
- Mandatory equipment on a bicycle includes a noise maker such as a bell or horn, a light that must be on anytime after dusk and a reflector.
The OPP has a great partnership with Mac’s (Circle K) Convenience Stores in support of a positive ticketing program. OPP officers provide coupons (positive tickets) to youth when they are observed exhibiting positive behaviour such as wearing their bike helmets and following the safety rules. The coupons bearing the OPP logo are redeemable for a free cold (‘Froster’) beverage during ‘Operation Freeze’ in the summer and a warm beverage (hot chocolate) during ‘Operation Heat’ in the winter months at Mac’s (Circle K).
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Hope no one hurt badly
It is almost rare to see a cyclist stop at a light or a stop sign…they usually look both ways and coast on through