Secrets of a streetwise cyclist

I'm riding my bike on the streets of downtown Toronto - and when I say on the streets, that's exactly what I mean: not on the sidewalk, not hugging the curb but in the middle of a lane on one of the busiest streets in one of the busiest cities in Canada. I never thought I would feel comfortable doing that. My biking experience had, for the most part, been limited to suburban settings: roads with wide lanes and little traffic, and bicycle paths through serene parks.

I'm on the first day of a Can-Bike course that teaches defensive cycling to experienced adult cyclists who want to improve their skills and feel more comfortable riding in traffic. Before I took the course, I was one of those people who assumed that, because I knew how to ride a bike and was familiar with basic safety issues and the rules of the road, I could just put on a helmet and go. But Can-Bike was a real eye-opener. The course revealed misconceptions and gave me some invaluable tips for safe city cycling.

• Ride on the road instead of the sidewalk. Cycling on the sidewalk increases the danger at intersections, because drivers aren't watching the sidewalk for cyclists to ride into the road and they expect traffic coming off the sidewalk to be at walking speed, not cycling speed. Plus, pedestrians have been injured and even killed in collisions with cyclists riding on the sidewalk.

• Don't hug the curb; ride in the lane. I used to hug the curb all the time because I didn't want to be too close to the traffic. It's actually safer to ride farther out, where you're in the drivers' field of vision and you have room to manoeuvre if something goes wrong. And you should stay away from the curb when you're stopped, as well. Many cyclists move to the curb at red lights so they can remain seated on their bike with one foot resting on the curb. This moves them out of the flow of traffic - and out of drivers' field of vision - at the most dangerous place for cyclists: intersections.

• Keep your eyes up and look ahead while you're cycling. If you do this, you can spot obstacles, such as an open car door or a large pothole in the road, well ahead of time so you can plan to avoid them, rather than react at the last minute. The more traffic there is, the farther ahead you should look, because there will be more things happening that you have to react to.

• Look, signal, then look again. The second time you look is called the "lifesaver shoulder check." It gives you one last chance to make sure that the coast is clear before you turn or change lanes.