A Yellowknife woman is asking drivers to be more mindful of cyclists sharing the road with them following a near collision on Thursday.
Chloe LeTourneau enjoys riding her bike to her uptown office, but says she narrowly avoided an accident Thursday morning when a driver momentarily lost focus.
LeTourneau was riding on the sidewalk along Old Airport Road in the direction of Walmart when a vehicle suddenly pulled out of a parking lot in front of her.
Read: Young Yellowknife Cyclist Hit By Car, Sent To Hospital
She quickly got out of the way, but says she would’ve been hit if it weren’t for evasive action on her part.
“I’m normally very cautious when I bike because I don’t always trust drivers along that stretch,” she told Moose FM.
“Just out of Gastown there was a gentleman who was pulling out. He looked like he was slowing down so I let off my brakes and kept biking.
“He didn’t look right even though he was turning right. He looked left for oncoming traffic and then just gunned er’.
“I almost got hit and he didn’t even see me until it was too late. I swerved out of the way but thankfully he didn’t hit me.
“This isn’t the first time this has happened. I usually have to stop for cars on the sidewalk even though cars should be looking out for pedestrians and cyclists.”
LeTourneau says she had right-of-way at the time of the incident and that she always wears a helmet when she’s biking. Incidents like this have made her think twice about the route she takes to work.
“I used to bike on the road for the entire highway loop and onto Old Airport Road but now I go to the sidewalk as soon as I can because I don’t want to be near the cars.
“I always take up as little space as possible, am always looking around and make sure I give cars around me heads-up as to where I’m going and what I’m doing.”
Even though LeTourneau biked away unharmed, she knows the outcome could’ve been a lot worse.
She’s asking drivers to be especially cautious around cyclists and pedestrians, and for fellow bike enthusiasts to respect the rules of the road.
Just last week in Yellowknife, a young cyclist was sent to hospital with minor injuries after being hit by a car close to downtown.
