Transit Windsor bus narrowly misses cyclist
Bike advocates offer to give bus drivers a crash course in rules of the road
Officials with Bike Windsor-Essex are inviting city bus drivers for a group bike ride to illustrate the dangers of driving too close to cyclists on city streets.
The invitation is being discussed after cyclist, Rob Thibert, was nearly hit by a passing bus on Wyandotte Street recently. He captured the incident, and the ensuing confrontation with the bus driver, with his helmet camera.
Drivers need to respect cyclists and the rules of the road, explained Thibert, saying the mirror of the bus came close to hitting him.
"I froze for a moment," he said. "I just tried not to move too far either way. It was pretty scary."
Roads can be terrifying, say cyclists
Once the immediate danger had passed, Thibert followed the bus to the next light to talk to the driver. The video shows the bus driver saying he didn't know he needed to give cyclists a metre of space.
This was not the first time Thibert had a close call on Windsor's streets. He bought a camera for his helmet, particularly to record the scary moments he experiences.
He recently captured a woman in the passenger seat of a pickup, yelling at him to ride his bike on the sidewalk.
The lack of knowledge about the rules of the road gave Lori Newton, executive director at Bike Windsor-Essex, the idea to take bus drivers out for a bike ride.
She plans to contact Transit Windsor about setting up a cycling safety event.
"Bus drivers have to know how absolutely terrifying it is to be passed by a speeding bus, inches from your handlebars," she said. "Maybe they really have no idea what that might feel like."
Just watching the footage was shocking, explained Newton.
"When I saw the bus go by, I could certainly feel what that cyclist had experienced at that moment," she said. "It's awful."