Police investigating incident where cyclist seemingly knocked into traffic by motorcyclist in Nanaimo, B.C.
The incident happened on the night of Aug. 2 at the intersection of Granite Park Road and Departure Bay Road. Dash cam footage from a nearby vehicle, a Tesla driven by Harlunn Anderson, shows a motorcyclist reach out toward the biker, who then tumbles across the opposite lane and onto the sidewalk.
Anderson said traffic in the area was moving slowly because the road was in an area between two school zones.
"If we were going any faster, there would have been a head-on collision," he told CHEK News.
The cyclist sustained minor injuries, including a swollen cheek and scrapes, but did not want to call 911 or go to hospital, according to Anderson.
"He had, like, a golf ball-sized goose egg on his cheek. It was cut open. His arm was bleeding, and there were a couple other people that stopped [to help]."
Const. Sherri Wade, media relations officer with Nanaimo RCMP, said the video sparked a flood of tips from the public. Callers recognized the motorcycles seen in the footage and directed officers to a nearby residence.
On Aug. 3, Wade said, an officer was at that home when a man approached and said, "Can I tell you what happened?" The man told police he had reached out to touch the cyclist's shoulder to avoid a collision and did not realize the cyclist had fallen until seeing the video online.
Nanaimo RCMP says he had also called police earlier that day to explain what happened and provide his contact information.
"We don't know yet whether it was intentional or whether it was one person letting another person know, 'I'm behind you and I'm going to go pass'," the constable said.
She said the investigation is ongoing and no charges have been laid so far.
Updated rules
Wade, an experienced cyclist herself, said she has never been tapped by another person while riding and described the encounter as "unusual."
She added that cyclists should use designated bike lanes where available, but if none exist, "we are to ride defensively so that other drivers can see us."
Wade said drivers should take extra care around vulnerable road users, no matter how "frustrating" it might feel.
WATCH | Study supports laws that allow cyclists to yield at stop signs:
Colleen Sparks, executive director of Capital Bike, a non-profit advocacy group, said touching a cyclist while passing "might cause even the strongest cyclist to react and potentially lead to a loss of balance."
"Touching someone riding a bike when passing could lead to an accident that is life altering for the rider," Sparks added. "We have to wonder what the motorcyclist was thinking."
ICBC says drivers in B.C. are required to give cyclists at least one metre of space when passing on roads with speed limits of 50 km/h or less, and 1.5 metres on faster roads.
Under B.C.'s new rules, which were introduced in June 2024, drivers must keep at least one metre away when passing vulnerable road users on roads with speed limits of 50 km/h or less, and 1.5 metres on faster roads.
Vulnerable road users include cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and people using mobility devices.
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