Dear Urban Diplomat: my cyclist husband risks his life by purposely ramming into cars. How do I get him to stop?
Dear Urban Diplomat, Every day—in rain, sleet, snow—my husband cycles to work along the Harbord bike lane. And every day he nearly gets killed because he says he doesn’t have to yield to vehicles turning right. Of course, most drivers turn without looking, and he rams into them on purpose. I’m terrified he’ll get beat up or run over. He says he’s not wrong so he won’t stop. First, is he really right? Second, how do I persuade him that risking his life to prove a point is moronic?
—My Husband’s a Cyclepath, Dufferin Grove
I realize it can be considered an act of war to upset the cycling community, but the rules are clear: right-turning cars must move into the rightmost lane before turning, even if it’s a designated cycle lane. The right of way really depends on who’s there first. If it’s the car, the cyclist must stop or pass on the left. If it’s the cyclist, the driver must stop and proceed once the cyclist has advanced. So direct your vigilante spouse to the relevant passage in the Ontario Highway Traffic Act and plead for adherence. If he still insists on flouting the rules, I doubt any rhetorical feat or guilt trip will change his mind. Instead, buy him the loud bicycle horn, which matches the tone and volume of a car horn, and pray.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com
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