What happenned- motorist in our lane- head on approx-  25- 50 ft from us- in curved portion of road (ie- he was 100% in our lane- as was going to fast into the curve). The driver wiped the steering wheel to the right when he saw us (Helen and Cynthia)-  very fortunate did not automatically over correct.
 
Where - River View Drive- near Pump Rd  ( ie- near Jeannettes Creek bridge)
 
When- Fri June 25, 2010- approx 0930  
 
Traffic condtion- light
 
Type of vehicle- newer vehicle- blue/purple colour paint, four door, compact car
 
Driver- - male, approx 30-35 yr of age- with nice eyes (we were that close)
 
-had we been 5 sec sooner- we would have beed dead- and I would not be typing this report. As well- that morning-  I forgot- and did not have my  road ID on me- really dumb- as the police would not have been able to ID us- because people- we would have been dead.
 
thanks-
 
Helen and Cynthia.
 
( ps we stopped about 50 ft up the road- in a drive way- to compose ourselves- and say a prayer of gratitude....)
----- Original Message -----
From: John Sigurjonsson
To: 'Chatham-Kent Commmunity Cycling Group'
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 11:18 AM
Subject: Re: [CKcycle] pull up display

I can pick up the incident reports from this listserve.

Generally, include:

            What happened

                        -Motorist passed too close (less than a meter clearance)

                        -Motorist turning right cut off cyclist (called a “right hook”)

                        -Motorist turning left cut off cyclist (didn’t yield right-of-way)

                        -Motorist opened vehicle door in front of cyclist (door prize!)

                        -Motorist parked or drove in bike lane

                        -Cyclist disobeyed traffic rules
                                    Take your pick.

                        -Police Officer acted unfairly (e.g. Dan’s experience)

            Where (The more specific the better. There are accident “hot spots” in the municipality that we’re trying to get the Traffic Engineering department to take action on. Also, Police Services       can step up enforcement at multiple-incident locations.)

            When – Date and time if possible

            Traffic conditions at the time – light or heavy.

            Type of vehicle involved (car, truck, bus)

            Since our purpose is to identify generic kinds of incidents and suggest general police or traffic engineering solutions, I don’t think it’s important that we have license numbers or other specific identification at this point. If the police tell us they can take action on a 911 call for specific kinds of situations then that kind of ID will become important.

Certainly any time there is personal injury or property damage over $1000 involved police expect to be called.

            If there are incidents you can recall over the past few months we might get enough of a list right away to build a meeting with Police Services around. If the issues are mostly around public education we maybe should include the education subcommittee of the ACSC in the same meeting.

            Any suggestions anybody would like to make as to how Police Services or Traffic Engineering could improve the situation will also be welcome to be passed on to those parties.

 

Regards

John Sigurjonsson                                                                                           
Member Services
Cycle Chatham-Kent
519-352-0883

-----Original Message-----
From: ckcycle-bounces@lists.ncf.ca [mailto:ckcycle-bounces@lists.ncf.ca] On Behalf Of Laevens, Jennifer
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 8:39 AM
To: Chatham-Kent Commmunity Cycling Group
Subject: Re: [CKcycle] pull up display

 

John,

 

This sounds like a great plan.  What would be the best way for us to “report” our incidents to you?  Via email or using our shared website? 

 

I’ll start asking our members to consider recording the incident so that we can get some action from the police.  Mutual respect will go a long way.

 

Dan, if we are patient and work together this community will change… just think just 2 years ago this community riding group did not exist especially with this many dedicated members and we are growing all the time!  The more we continue the dialogue with the police and the community the easier it will be become to ride without fear on our roadways.

 

I believe there are Sunday and Morning morning rides this weekend.  Everyone be safe and enjoy the long weekend.

 

Jennifer Laevens

519-436-4600 Ext 2926

 

From: ckcycle-bounces@lists.ncf.ca [mailto:ckcycle-bounces@lists.ncf.ca] On Behalf Of John Sigurjonsson
Sent: July 29, 2010 2:32 PM
To: 'Chatham-Kent Commmunity Cycling Group'
Subject: Re: [CKcycle] pull up display

 

Jen, thanks for your response.

 

When we meet with the police brass we could present a description of the kinds of incidents you are experiencing with specific examples and discuss with them the best response. Can they act on the basis of a phoned-in report? What specific info would they need?

 

Police Services regularly issues media releases on safety-elated subjects and those could emphasize what’s happening on CK roads and advise drivers on their responsibilities and the potential penalties for violation. Also, the ACSC is working on a regular media feature along the lines of “Sergeant Domony Advises” dealing in part with cycling issues and your experiences could be incorporated into that.

 

The Chief and his people also recognize that they need to train the entire force on the rights and responsibilities of cyclists (and motorists relating to cyclists) to avoid the kind of occurrence that Dan describes (“going too fast, er, no, taking too much of the lane”) CKCCG can help them focus their training by letting them know about that kind of incident.

 

If Cycling Community members will post the experiences/incidents and suggestions that they would like taken to a discussion with Police Services I will volunteer to compile them (I’m retired, so have some time available), review the compilation with Dan and Jen L for fine tuning, and then report it back to the entire listserve for comment. In the meantime I’ll let Police Services know what we’re doing and get their commitment to review our product and meet with us for discussion of it. Cycling Community can decide who should represent them at that meeting.

 

Does that sound like a plan?

 

Regards

John Sigurjonsson
Member Services
Cycle Chatham-Kent
519-352-0883

-----Original Message-----
From: ckcycle-bounces@lists.ncf.ca [mailto:ckcycle-bounces@lists.ncf.ca] On Behalf Of Laevens, Jennifer
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2010 11:47 AM
To: Chatham-Kent Commmunity Cycling Group
Subject: Re: [CKcycle] pull up display

 

John,

 

I think that’s a great idea.  Could you give us some idea of what the police would like to see in terms of an “incident report”?  Do they want us to call 911 from the side of the road to report the make and model of the vehicle or just an “after the fact” report?  Dan and I have been harassed on the river road as well and I would have liked to call it in but didn’t think 911 was the right venue. 

 

The 4 E’s sound good to me.  I believe the schools are doing a pretty good with education for kids as is the Children’s Safety Village and the bike rodeo held at the same time as the Rotary Ride.  We are trying but I think the frustration comes from our more long distance riders feeling our safety compromised on each and every outing.  We would like to know how the police will handle these complaints. 

 

At one time there used to be a police officer or two on bicycles.  This seems to be the best approach for “pulling over” other cyclists on the sidewalks.  Perhaps, some enforcement for those infractions and some media attention will keep the education moving in the right direction.

 

Jennifer Laevens

519-436-4600 Ext 2926

 

From: ckcycle-bounces@lists.ncf.ca [mailto:ckcycle-bounces@lists.ncf.ca] On Behalf Of John Sigurjonsson
Sent: July 29, 2010 10:44 AM
To: 'Chatham-Kent Commmunity Cycling Group'
Subject: Re: [CKcycle] pull up display

 

Thanks for your response Dan

            Sorry to hear that your experience with local Police Services has been negative. We have had a very good working relationship with Chief Dennis Poole and his staff – particularly the Sergeant in charge of traffic matters, Mike Domony. Mike is actively involved with Public Health and the ACSC in developing an education program to support the shift to cycling as transportation.