I was almost killed today by a motorist driving in a cycle track and it was terrifying

A relaxing, early morning ride can be ruined in the matter of seconds by a motorist doing something stupid. For me, it was a driver who decided to do a U-Turn as she had missed her exit, and then drove in the opposite direction in the bike path. In Toronto, there is a section of road on Bayview Avenue where there is only one lane for driving, heading south. The other lane is a bi-directional, separated bike lane. There are bollards every few metres, making it nearly impossible for a car to squeeze through. Nearly impossible.

A summer morning ruined by crappy driving

I was riding north on the separated bike lane, enjoying the summer breeze, when I spotted the motorist doing what seemed to be a three-point turn. Well, more like five-point, but anyway.

As anyone who’s ridden in cities before knows, you have to assume the worst with most drivers. That means hands on the brakes and being prepared to stop. And sure enough, the worst happened. The motorist completed her five-point turn, and given the narrowness of the lanes, that meant she pulled into the bikes-only section. I braked hard and barely missed her. As a former bike racer, I feel pretty good about my reactions, but still, this was close. What if it were someone who wasn’t as experienced with cycling? If they were new to riding? I can’t imagine.

Nothing like seeing a car drive 60km/h in a separated bike lane after almost killing me pic.twitter.com/6YxvX63oDm

— Matt Hansen (@mattiojelly) July 12, 2023

I of course screamed at the woman, who waved at me and smiled, and then apologized. But then what happened next was even worse. Despite me telling her she had majorly screwed up…she then sped off…in the bike lane, going 60-80 km/h.

Irresponsible driving can kill

There were a few other cyclists up the road who thankfully noticed her well in advance and weren’t hurt. When I caught up to her, as you can imagine, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with her driving. She kept saying how sorry she was. If you were sorry, I said, you would have made the responsible choice and kept driving to the end of the road and found a suitable road to drive back north on. We all make mistakes when driving and can miss exits, but that doesn’t mean you endanger people’s lives.

Viral video of cars driving on a bike-only lane on bridge in Toronto shocks local cyclists

When I bike raced, I encountered some scary stuff. Descending a mountain in Japan at 90 km/h in the rain. Riding in crash-marred criteriums in the U.S.A. Being on the wheel of a cyclist whose wheel explodes at the Tour de Beauce. Riding elbow-to-elbow on bumpy, manure-covered cobbles through some town in Belgium. Going down icy drop-offs at a ‘cross race in Germany.

A Toronto driver drove in a separated bike lane, narrowly missing a runner

None of that compares to the feeling almost being smoked by a car. Your ride is ruined, too. Your emotions run high and your heart is going a mile a minute.

I am not sure that motorists know how terrifying it is to have these experiences. There’s a part of me that hopes that if they read this, they may keep us in mind the next time they are on the roads.