Motorists encouraged to get to know cyclists a little better
Supplied photo
THUNDER BAY, ON – This Monday (April 30), Thunder Bay District Health Unit and Safe Cycling Thunder Bay launched You Know Me. I Ride a Bike. The campaign features ordinary Thunder Bay cyclists that motorists may see every day on local streets and highways. Each cyclist has a story to share with drivers to remind them that they are people with families and that other people depend on them.
“When motorists are in a hurry to get somewhere, they can lose sight of the fact that the bicycle in front of them, though it may be slowing them down, carries a real person,” says Marita Campbell, public health nurse at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit. “We want motorists to respect the cyclist and give them the room they need to ride safely,” adds Campbell.
This is the first year of this campaign, aimed at improving the relationship between motorists and cyclists. The campaign seeks to personalize cyclists in the eyes of motorists by reminding them that the bicycle in front of them is not just an obstacle to be dealt with, but carries a person that could be their child’s teacher, a local optometrist or a mother of two.
“Respect is a two-way street,” says Dr.Bill Ulakovic, one of the cyclists featured in the campaign. “In order for everyone on the road to stay safe we need to be looking out for each other.”
The public can learn more about the cyclists featured in the You Know Me. I Ride a Bike campaign through print and radio ads running the month of May or by visiting safecyclingthunderbay.com.
