Drivers and cyclists face new rules for sharing the road after council vote

New rules are coming for those who share Regina’s roads after city council approved changes to its traffic bylaw in a 6-5 vote on Wednesday night.

Council considered seven amendments to the bylaw. Among them: A $100 fine for drivers who follow a cyclist too closely, and an $85 fine for passing a cyclist in the same lane that the cyclist is occupying.

One amendment would limit cars to 50 kilometres per hour when passing cyclists. On a road where the posted speed limit is at least 80 km/h, drivers would have to slow to at least 70 km/h when passing a cyclist.

For the higher-speed roads, there would be exceptions if the cyclists have a designated bike lane or if there’s a full lane between the driver and a cyclist on the shoulder.

Bike Regina, an advocacy group focused on supporting and increasing the cycling culture in the city, was involved in the consultation process for developing the new amendments.

David Bernakevitch, a board member for the non-profit group, said the new bylaw goes a long way in helping cyclists feel safer in the city.

“This is definitely a great start,” Bernakevitch said. “It just enforces the current responsibility of motorists sharing the road.

“The whole goal was to make cycling safer in Regina and I think that we have accomplished that.”

Another amendment would have banned cyclists from riding on Ring Road from 200 metres east of Pasqua Street to Victoria Avenue, with the fine set at $85. That amendment was removed.

“I think that everybody can agree that it is very rare to see a cyclist on Ring Road and I think prohibiting cyclists from using a roadway is just going to set a precedent in the future by prohibiting cyclists from other roadways,” Bernakevitch said.

“As much as it makes sense for cyclists not to be on Ring Road, it could set a precedent in the future for roadways that don’t make that much sense. We trust that cyclists are savvy enough to recognize dangerous roadways and only use them if absolutely necessary.”

Coun. Daniel LeBlanc proposed the removal of that amendment. His proposal was approved in a 6-5 vote, with councillors Bob Hawkins, John Findura, Terina Shaw and Jason Mancinelli and Mayor Sandra Masters voting against it.

Regarding the amendment that prohibits passing in the same lane, there was discussion on whether that would lead to traffic congestion on single-lane roads.

City staff said there was no evidence to suggest the changes would tie up traffic. Council heard most of Regina’s roads have at least two lanes in one direction. For the amendment to be enforceable, there would need to be a centre line painted. If not, a driver would be allowed to cross the centre line.

Coun. Andrew Stevens said he does not see congestion being a problem.

“I also think this is an incentive to expand and invest further in our dedicated cycling infrastructure. If there is road rage, that is a problem for the driver being angry behind the wheel, not the cyclist,” Stevens said.

He said it would be helpful for the city to improve wayfinding, with maps that would show which would be the best routes for cyclists to take. Stevens expects the discussion to re-emerge as other forms of active transportation, like e-scooters, come up.

“Our goal should make roads more accessible to more kinds of transportation,” he said.

Drivers, cyclists react

980 CJME spoke with some Regina drivers about the new laws, and opinions were mixed.

Shelley Thue said she can see both sides of the issue.

“I think the safety of bikers is important, but I also think that bikers should adhere to all of the traffic rules. I’ve seen people on bikes go straight through red lights, et cetera. So if they’re going to crack drown on the drivers, crack down on the bikers as well,” she said.

Still, she believes both drivers and cyclists have a part to play when it comes to road safety.

“As long as everyone’s courteous with one another, then I think the world would be happier,” she said.

Mike Knudsen agrees everyone on the road needs to be responsible.

“Some (cyclists) are careless and they seem to put their life at risk with some of their movements … (The laws) seem a little much,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tom Jameson thinks giving out fines is a reasonable way to protect people on their bikes.

“In terms of traffic safety, it’s probably fair,” he said. “The city is bigger than it used to be, there’s more traffic density than there used to be and I think there are more bicycles on the road … It’s probably a good idea to discourage traffic behaviour or driving that might endanger cyclists.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Logan Stein and Dominick Lucyk