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Ottawa Police Shut Down Driver For Mocking Winter Cyclist

Spoiler: Cyclists have a right to the road, too.
A cyclist commutes during a winter snowstorm in Toronto on Dec. 15, 2016.
Canadian Press
A cyclist commutes during a winter snowstorm in Toronto on Dec. 15, 2016.

Drivers can sometimes forget they don't only have to share the road with other four-wheeled motorists, but that they also need to make room for their two-wheeled brethren.

After a Toronto public figure took to Twitter to deride a winter cyclist for — gasp — daring to commute using a different mode of transportation than her, police sent out a gentle reminder on social media that cyclists have a right to the road too.

On Friday, Alex Pierson, a current affairs radio host, tweeted a photo of a winter cyclist, while behind the wheel of her vehicle at an intersection.

"U have to be a real knob to ride a bike on a day like this," she wrote.

But Ottawa police were having none of that attitude.

They clapped back right away, reminding Pierson that not only do cyclists have a right to the road as well, but that, "for many, it's their only mode of transportation."

Drivers are supposed to treat cyclists like any other vehicle on the road, according to the Ottawa Police Service website, and should give them extra space when road conditions are slippery.

As for cyclists, they "may occupy any part of a lane when [their] safety warrants it. Never compromise safety just for the convenience of others," the website states.

When Pierson tried to argue that there's not enough room on the road for both cyclists and drivers, police gently reminded her that there is, if she waits for an opportunity to go around.

Other Twitter users pointed out that Pierson probably shouldn't be so quick to throw stones from a glass house, as it's against Ontario's Highway Traffic Act to use a hand-held device while driving, even while stopped at a traffic light.

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