This is my sixth winter cycling in the city.

In the years I’ve used my bike almost exclusively to get around the downtown core, I have had no accidents. I have been very lucky. There have been a handful of mishaps and close calls. These include:

• One streetcar track incident – a replay of the face-first trajectory into traffic from the eighties. Don’t ask me how I did it twice.
• One almost changing lanes into the path of a Mack Truck, but just taking a quick look over my shoulder after all. Good thinking!
• Watching someone J-walk up ahead and following blindly. A motorist who had the right of way was moving through the intersection at regular speed and missed me by about a foot.
• A last minute decision to veer left on a bike path in the park, and nearly knocking another cyclist off his bike. He took it very well, and didn’t even yell at me.
• Numorous reckless, thoughtless folks in cars passing way too close – some of them real heart-pounders!
• One very un-elegant lurch out of the way of an 18-wheeler turning right, who didn’t realize how long he was, and how much he was about to encroach into my space while I was innocently waiting for the light to change.
• My favourite: Waiting at a red light and falling over due to fidgeting. I was trying to pull up my narrow skirt that was slung down around the seat in the back.
• And most recently, and embarrassingly: The day when Dusty tried to kill me.

Seems I’ve done some stupid stuff. All of it attributed to momentary inattention, exactly the stuff that can get you killed!

Please, forgive me if I get a little preachy and self-righteous. In fact tell me if I do! My intention is to learn, and to share knowledge, and ideas for making this city a safer more pleasant place to ride.

Occasionally I’ll have a little rant.