Drivers in bike lanes could face charges

People who live and cycle on a busy Sudbury street are upset that drivers are using the bikes lanes to pass other vehicles.

Bancroft drive is the only place in the city with dedicated bikes lanes.

Drivers who pass other vehicles in the bike lane are making residents nervous.

Rejeanne Korpi, who lives on Bancroft Drive, said she never knows what some drivers are going to do when she's stopped in her car, waiting to turn left into her driveway.

"You don't know if they're going to stop or if they're just going to go on the side in the bike lanes," she said. "Some of them go so close you think you're going to lose the mirror on your car."

Sudbury police traffic sergeant Eric Sanderson said bike lanes are violating city a by-law.

"Those bicycle lanes are put there specifically for the use of bicycles," Sanderson said. "You should not be using those to pass another vehicle on the roadway."

Sanderson said an accident caused by passing in the bike lane would lead to charges under the Highway Traffic Act, including careless driving.

He added that "getting a bylaw ticket is minor in comparison to any potential injury that you could cause to a bicyclist [and] perhaps more serious Highway Traffic Act charges."

Thats a message cyclist Guy Brunet wants drivers to hear.

Brunet said he was once dragged by a car that was driving in the Bancroft Drive bike lane. Brunet, who cycles every day, said cars in bike lanes concern him.

"You have to be careful. You have to be cautious of the traffic and [make] sure you don't get yourself in a situation that you can't get out of," he said.