Safe cycling

There are more than a hundred kilometres of bike lanes and trails in the city of Hamilton and the number of cyclists using those routes has increased dramatically in the last three years. But adding thousands of cyclists to city streets can be dangerous, so the city is hoping to educate both bike riders and drivers.

Last year in Hamilton, 179 cyclists were hit by cars and since 2012 three cyclists have been killed. The city is hoping teaching people the rules of the road will prevent more accidents.

Going the wrong way on a one way street and riding on the sidewalk is illegal. It’s also against the law for a cyclist to run a red light or stop sign.

Drivers are legally required to give a cyclist a meter of space when passing and cyclists are allowed to take up an entire lane of traffic.

The new Bay street bike lane officially opens Friday at noon and runs all the way from Aberdeen to Strachan by the lake shore.