A growing number of Ottawa cyclists are using video cameras to capture close calls on the road.

They mount the cameras on their helmets or handlebars to record incidents with drivers, and some of them post those incidents online.

Ken Walker, a software developer who runs the blog Bike View in Ottawa, initially bought a video camera two years ago to capture the changing seasons on his commute from south Ottawa to Kanata.

"Earlier that year, the year that I got the camera, I had actually been hit by a car. So, had I had evidence of that — the person admitted and stopped and everything so there was no problem there — but there would have been evidence [the video] there if that person had decided to run away," Walker said.

"And I think that's what you're seeing nowadays. As the price point of these cameras is coming down a lot, … a lot of incidents have been caught on camera."

Pedestrians, other cyclists can also pose problems

Leonard Poole is another Ottawa cyclist uploading videos of encounters on the road, and he said he's seeing a lot of misbehaving cyclists and pedestrians as well as drivers.

"I'm a cyclist, but there are bad cyclists out there too. … They'll be texting, they'll be on their cellphone, and they're biking the wrong way down a one-way street. It blows my mind. It gives cyclists a bad name."

Poole also said he sees pedestrians walking into streets without looking or paying attention.

"It's not just the drivers, it's all of us that need to be alert to what's going on around us," Poole said. "Cities are busy, and they're potentially dangerous."

Walker said he's reported several incidents to the police, while Poole said he hasn't yet felt the need.

Police said they can issue a warning to the owner of a vehicle if a cyclist catches a license plate number, but capturing the face of the driver makes for a stronger case.