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Cycling safety a partnership, say RCMP

Okotoks RCMP are reminding drivers and cyclists alike to stay safe on roads in town after recently responding to two collisions between vehicles and bikes in one day. Okotoks RCMP Sgt.

Okotoks RCMP are reminding drivers and cyclists alike to stay safe on roads in town after recently responding to two collisions between vehicles and bikes in one day.

Okotoks RCMP Sgt. Sukh Randhawa said there is a partnership between drivers and cyclists to ensure they remain safe.

“They both have to be vigilant when they’re sharing the road, cyclist and motorist,” he said. “There’s no less onus on anybody as far as following the rules of the road.”

Randhawa’s comments come after RCMP responded to two collisions between RCMP and cyclists on Aug. 11.

At around 11:20 a.m. an SUV struck a bike on North Railway Street near Oak Avenue.

“Really it was more that the SUV and the bike itself got into a collision,” said Stuart Brideaus, EMS public education officer.

He said the cyclist, a man in his early 60s, was assessed by paramedics at the scene and declined further treatment or transport to hospital.

“He was essentially uninjured in that case,” he said.

Later that day after 3 p.m., RCMP, fire personnel and EMS responded to a collision between an SUV and a cyclist on McRae Street.

The cyclist, a female in her early teens, was struck as she was riding her bike across the road at a crosswalk.

In this case, he said a female in her early teens was taken to the Alberta Children’s Hospital with minor soft tissue injuries.

“Again, it was relatively minor injuries,” he said.

Randhawa said drivers need to remember cyclists have as much right to be on the road as a vehicle. They also need to be careful driving around cyclists, to know who’s sharing the road with them and give them enough space.

He said drivers need to be alert and avoid distractions that could prevent them from seeing cyclists on the road.

“Cycles at the end of the day are not loud, so it’s hard to hear where they’re coming from,” he said.

Meanwhile, cyclists have to follow the same rules of the road as other vehicles.

He said cyclists need to ensure they are taking steps to improve their own safety on the road. This included wearing reflective clothing, helmets, as well as using hand signals and making eye contact with drivers before crossing streets.

“They both have to be vigilant of each other, they both have to be cognizant of the fact of who’s on the road, whether it’s a cyclist, a motorcyclist, a vehicle or a truck, or a pedestrian,” he said.

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