Kill the Cyclist. It’s the Smart Thing.
Frenchman Butte, SK - Wednesday, July 9, 2014

“I couldn’t stop in time,” the distraught truck driver will probably tell the police investigator. “And I couldn’t pass him. There was nowhere to go.”

“I didn’t see him at first. Who expects to see a cyclist riding out here on the highway? Never seen one before. And he was just crawling along. Right in my lane.”

“I do this route every week. There’s not much traffic. But another rig was coming my way.”

“Couldn’t swing around the guy. Couldn’t even get off the road. There’s no shoulder. I would have rolled over into the slough.”

“Do you know how long it takes to stop this thing? Even when I’m not carrying a full load, I need a couple hundred feet.”

“Damn it! What a mess. I hit him square on. Pushed him down the road a bit and then he went under the wheels.”

“How can I make it to North Battleford? I’m going to barf my guts out. And I’m probably going to lose my job.”

“What kind of idiot rides his bicycle on a highway, anyway? It shouldn’t be allowed.”

Good point. I’m being stupid. Cyclists should not ride on the highway. And the truck driver will have made the smart choice. Don’t run into the on-coming vehicle. Kill the cyclist.

I know what Elizabeth would say: “Please don’t do this, Ed. Please don’t ride on the highway. It’s too dangerous.”

I’m very sorry. My options are limited. I don’t want to pedal my bicycle on the road. But I’m determined to ride the Trans Canada Trail all the way to Prince Edward Island. And huge parts of that route lie on highways.

If that wasn’t the case, Elizabeth would still be alive.

Highway 797, near Fort Pitt, SK. Photo by Edmund A. Aunger.