Why I was nearly mowed down by a Vancouver cyclist on my walk to work this morning

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      "Watch before you walk, man!"

      With those words, a 30-ish bearded cyclist with an Aussie accent whipped by me eastbound around 8:32 a.m. at the corner of Pine Street and West 10th Avenue in Vancouver.

      Had I not been more alert, I could have easily wound up in hospital. He passed within less than a metre.

      Three years ago, I reported that this is one of the city's more notorious intersections, making ICBC's Top 10 list for the number of collisions involving motor vehicles and cyclists.

      To address this, the city removed a traffic circle and put in stop signs on Pine Street. That cleared the way for cyclists to fly by at high speeds without any impediment along the West 10th Avenue cycling route.

      But the change has heightened the danger for pedestrians, as I learned again this morning.

      One reason is that cars are still permitted to park along the south side of West 10th Avenue very close to the east side of Pine Street.

      This seriously curtails pedestrians' visibility. And it explains why I peer out ever so carefully to see if there are cyclists zipping toward me when I cross.

      Another problem is that many cyclists—including my nemesis this morning—aren't aware that the city's 1997 transportation plan gives priority to pedestrians over cyclists and other vehicles. With some justification, I could have shouted back: "Watch before you ride, man!" 

      Of course, that doesn't give pedestrians the right to march into traffic when there's a stop sign and cyclists and other vehicles have the right-of-way, as exists in that section West 10th Avenue. But there is a municipal requirement for cyclists to have bells on their bikes.

      The reality is that the city can do more to educate cyclists that they, like motorists, are obliged to consider the safety of pedestrians. This could be accomplished with a few signs along busy bike routes such as West 10th Avenue.

      It might help prevent someone from getting killed or seriously maimed.

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