I haven’t written anything since January, and then today I have written two posts. Aren’t you lucky!

This was actually posted on Facebook first, but since this is my blog, and I feel pretty strongly about this, I am posting it here too.

Dear Mr. SUV Driver who tried to run me off the road today on St. Clair,

I’m sorry I was in your way this afternoon. I didn’t want to be, but unfortunately, I didn’t have much of a choice. You see, St. Clair Avenue does not have bike lanes. The closest road that does is significantly out of my way, so I ride on St. Clair.

I ride along St. Clair everyday, in fact. In the morning, I take side roads for as long as I can, and then at Christie, I have to come up on to St. Clair. I do the reverse after work. Whilst I love riding my bike, riding the stretch between St. Clair West and Christie and St. Clair and Yonge is often the worst part of my day. When I arrive at the Subway station to head north or at home, my heart is always beating hard, and I think only a small portion of that is the exercise from the bike. I think most of it is adrenaline from fear. Riding along a busy road with no bike lane is an exercise in staying upright and having your wits about you whilst cars behind you speed up to pass you and cut you off whenever they can.

Riding along in your huge steel cage, you probably don’t know what it’s like to hear a car zoom up behind you and pass you so close that you can feel the air rush between yourself and the car. You don’t know what it’s like to feel that lump in your throat and hope that this car coming up behind is going to leave you enough room, and not push you over to the edge of the road like you did today. You don’t have to feel like you’re at the mercy of everyone else on the road, because you’re riding alone in a huge steel frame, and you don’t know what it’s like to be a constant state of tension as you’re driving your car, because it would take a lot to hurt you in there. It would take very little to kill me on my bike.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-car. I enjoy driving, but I enjoy cycling more. I do have personal beliefs about cars. For instance, I don’t believe, generally speaking, that you need a car to get back and forth across this city. I think it’s irresponsible to drive a car when you could take transit or ride a bike. I think that cars should be saved for journeys when you’re carrying a lot of stuff, have several other people with you, or you’re going a long distance. There are exceptions, of course, but I think we all need to rely on the car less and rely on alternative transportation sources like bicycles and public transit more. And yes, I wish the TTC was actually the better way, just like everyone else, but if more people would ride it, that would mean less cars on the road, and more money being injected into the system, and as such, a better transit system for everyone. But these beliefs are beside the point, because whatever I may or may not believe, cars are here to stay, at least for now, and cyclists and drivers have to learn to co-exist.

Believe me, if I didn’t have to ride on the street with the cars, I wouldn’t. I would love to get out of your way! Just the same way as I would love for you to get out of mine. The streets aren’t made for cars and cyclists. They are only made for cars. Even the bikes lanes we do have are dangerous since many people consider them a convenient place to stop their vehicle and grab a coffee, or wait to pick up a friend. That said, I think bike lanes are better than no bike lanes. I’m a considerate person, I hate feeling like I’m holding someone up, but if I got out of the way every time a driver came up behind me, it would be dangerous and I would be super late for work. So, as much as it pains both of us, I can’t get out of your way. There are no bike lanes on St. Clair, or around St. Clair, that would take me out of your way. So, I have to ride on the road with you. I know it’s a pain, but that’s how it is.

Perhaps if you are really as angry about cyclists in your way as you appeared to be today, you could, with your fellow drivers, appeal to our government and demand more bike lines. That way I wouldn’t hold you up, and I wouldn’t have to wonder if each ride down St. Clair might be my last because of some angry and aggressive driver like yourself.

Yours very sincerely,

Laurie