Windsor cyclists share road with hearse during Ride of Silence

Dozens of Windsor cyclists showed drivers in the city how well bicycles and cars can cooperate Wednesday by silently sharing the street with a pair of hearses.

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The ninth annual Ride of Silence began with a solemn poem reading dedicating the ride to people around the world who were killed or injured on a bicycle that ended with the message, "The road is there for all to share."

Angela Zhu wore all black to the ride as a sign respect for those who lost their lives while cycling.

"To me this is also a way to tell our government to please take action," she said. "It's not okay that we are dying in the streets when all we want to do is get to work … that really shouldn't be a reason to die."

Zhu has had a few close calls herself and showed her battered blue helmet as proof.

Just days after moving to Windsor she said she was driven off the road by a trucker and "took a tumble."

Stories of injuries and close calls were common among the riders who gathered before the event began.

Ride leader Troy Whittle, who works as a funeral director, said he's had a few brushes with death as vehicles pass too closely for comfort.

"I look back at it and think, 'I could be one of my own clients at that point,'" he said.

Several cyclists at the ride said their main concern with riding in Windsor-Essex is how disconnected paths and bike lanes can be.

Bike Windsor Essex Executive Director Lori Newton said the ride is about reminding Windsor cyclists are "human beings" and that have a right to city roads. She called on city officials to install bike lanes that are safe enough for everyone to use.

"What we look at is would put your eight-year-old or your grandmother on this bike lane?" she said. "If the answer is no then we have to do better."