The BUFCO Bulletin

Days are getting shorter, daylight savings ends soon, and kids are back and forth to school, all of which make driving more challenging than mid-summer cruising. Here are a few tips and reminders for drivers, and one for cyclists too.

Every year, there are incidents involving cars and school buses. Here’s a simple reminder of a simple rule: Flashing red lights on a school bus means STOP IN BOTH DIRECTIONS – from behind the bus, and approaching the bus. The bus driver will keep the lights flashing until exiting passengers have reached the sidewalk on EITHER side of the road, which means kids could be crossing on-coming traffic. So…just stop, in both directions. No rush is worth a child’s life. More details here.  

People opening doors into oncoming bikes has become so frequent, it is now part of the cyclists' lexicon – “dooring” or “I was doored by some *&$(@ driver!” Europeans have a trick when opening their car doors. Reach for the door handle with your far hand – from the driver’s seat, use your right hand; from the passenger’s seat, use your left hand. This forces you to twist your torso and turn your head, the most natural position from which to check for oncoming cyclists. And open your door slowly, in case you missed someone in your vehicle’s your blind spot.

Cyclists are becoming increasingly aware of the rules of the road, largely out of self- preservation on Toronto’s dangerous roads. As a driver and a cyclist, I often see cyclists using hand signals to show intent. Top notch! However, some cyclists ride as though hand signals are some sort of automatic right-of-way or force-field. Signaling a left turn to change lanes, for instance, does NOT mean it is automatically safe to go. Check over your shoulder for oncoming traffic, and make your lane change only when it’s safe to do so. A car or other vehicle passing you on the left has the right-of-way, both legally and safety-wise. Don’t assume that a hand signal means it’s automatically safe to make your move.