LETTER: Sault Cycling Club offers support to family of cyclist who died on Highway 17

On behalf of our community, the Sault Cycling Club would like to offer its condolences and support to the family of Amy Jaye Willson.

Through our membership we would like to offer assistance to her family such as transportation and lodging while you are dealing with this tragic loss. Please contact us at [email protected] if there is anything we can do for you.

We also call on our community to double its efforts to keep our cyclists safe on our highways, roads and streets.

While the Ministry of transportation is making some headway with widening shoulders and making cycling safer; many of our roads are still not wide enough for a cyclist and a vehicle to be in the same lane at the same time. 

If passing a cyclist please only pass when it is safe to do so as you would with any other slow-moving vehicle, tractor or horse and buggy.

While the law states a minimum of 1 m must be given when overtaking a cyclist riders appreciate a full lane whenever possible. Large vehicles moving at high-speed‘s can physically throw a rider off their line causing them to swerve or lose their balance. Cyclist like other vehicles require room to manoeuvre on the road, one meter is often not enough room to dodge potholes, cracks and gravel on our northern Ontario roads.

If it is not feasible to pass a cyclist and provide ample space please pause, slow down and wait until it is safe to do so. Your patience is appreciated and may prevent an accident.