Cyclists equipping bikes with cameras to catch unsafe drivers

Additional safety measures following hit-and-run London Cycling Club members equip bikes with video cameras following a hit-and-run. CTV London’s Marek Sutherland reports.

A week after a pickup truck allegedly ran a pair of cyclist off the road and then left the scene, another close call has happened. But, this time it was caught on camera.

“When this individual decided to pass with an oncoming car, I had no room. It was literally about two inches from my elbows was his mirror,” says cyclist Patrick Phillipson, who was taking part in a charity ride called the “Three Ports” on Saturday.

The close call captured on this bike cam shows the dangers cyclists face every time they are on the road.

After the harrowing hit and run of two cyclists the weekend before on White Oak Road, and no further updates from London police, the cycling community is now taking steps to ensure if something was to happen, there will be concrete proof for investigators.

“It created this wave in the cycling community where a lot of riders have gone and decided to purchase equipment technology that would allow them to now being able to identify people that do pass us unsafe,” says Chair of the London Cycling Club, Nathalie Grenier, who was a part of the peloton.

The technology is like a motion detector, and when it senses a vehicle passing the cyclists, it begins to record.

“We now have the technology to not share just anecdotal stories about how we were passed and safely. We now have evidence,” says Grenier.

Cyclists have become frustrated with the small minority of motorists that don’t allow them the space on the road they are entitled to under the Highway Traffic Act, and hope that if a few of them get caught, others will have second thoughts on risky passes.

“It doesn't make us any safer on the ride,” Phillipson says. “However, with drivers knowing that this exists, maybe they'll think twice...[if] they really want to be caught on video.”

The cyclists say 98 per cent of motorists they encounter are respectful and pass them safely, but with a growing number of injuries and altercations, the only way to ensure people are caught is to record them.

There was no update from OPP regarding the weekend incident on Union Line.