Winnipeg cyclist catches more than 200 close calls with cars on camera
Ian Walker hopes videos will give drivers a different perspective on sharing the road with cyclists
Ian Walker has been recording encounters between his bike and motor vehicles on the roads with two cameras strapped to his helmet and bike since last August.
"It is a lot," Walker said of the total so far. And the season is just heating up, he added. "I find that people do move a little bit faster in the summer."
"Sharing the road doesn't mean riding as close to the curb as possible so that you're not inconveniencing people. Sharing the road means I need to have a dominant position in the lane so that I'm discouraging people from driving too close to me, " Walker said.
"I had the right of way. And this driver did not stop at the stop sign. She [crept] past the crosswalk, looked right but didn't look left and proceeded through the intersection. I had to stop to avoid being struck by her," he said.
'Be predictable'
But that helps Walker stress his point that cyclists need to be responsible too.
Partnering with Manitoba Public Insurance on the project, Walker hopes his videos will be turned into educational videos, giving new drivers a different perspective.
"So they understand what it's like if a person was to pass you with only a few inches of space," Walker said. "People on bicycles are also human beings. They deserve to be safe on the road."