The warm weather is bringing a different dynamic to Ottawa's roads, causing Ottawa police and other road safety advocates to preach patient, legal behaviour.

Nine cyclists have been struck this week at locations across the city, according to police. None was seriously injured.

The number is a little higher than a normal week, said Sgt. Mark Gatien of the Ottawa police traffic unit.

He's also seen near-misses, such as Thursday on Bank Street when a woman wearing headphones — while not illegal, it isn't exactly recommended — ran a red light and almost got hit by a pickup truck, he said.

She got a ticket, along with 16 other cyclists as of Friday morning, for running a red light or stop sign.

'Everybody has a responsibility'

"This doesn't happen all the time, I'm not putting any one group at fault here, but everybody has a responsibility when they're on the road," Gatien said.

"They have to pay attention and abide [by] the rules of the road at all times."

Sgt. Mark Gatien is one of four sergeants with the Ottawa police traffic unit. (Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco/CBC)

This week is National Road Safety Week and this month is Bike to Work Month in Ottawa, both falling at that time of year when the weather gets nice enough to fill streets and sidewalks with cyclists and pedestrians who didn't get out as much over the winter.

The 2016 census suggested Ottawa-Gatineau led the way, among similar-sized cities such as Winnipeg and Quebec City, for the number of people who walk or bike to work, at 8.7 per cent. That ranked fifth overall in the cities surveyed.

"It happens every year," Gatien said. "The warm weather comes, people have to get used to more volume and different factors on the roadways, so you have to be hypervigilant and be prepared for the unexpected."

Get comfortable with it

"Spring is a time to try something new or that we're not as used to," said Jamie Stuckless, executive director of the Share the Road Cycling Coalition.

"It's important for people on their bikes and people in their cars to be aware of their surroundings: doing shoulder checks, looking for people cycling when you open your car door."

Jamie Stuckless, executive director of Share the Road Cycling Coalition, poses on her bike in 2016. (Jennifer Chevalier / CBC)

New or occasional cyclists who aren't sure how they feel about taking a certain route to work could take advantage of lighter traffic over the long weekend to get comfortable with it, she said.

Discussions about road safety should also include longer-term talks about road design and making streets that are safer for everyone who uses them, she added.

Gatien said drivers, cyclists and pedestrians should use a technique he calls "eye lead," which involved looking well ahead and around for brake lights, people who appear to be distracted, and other potential signs someone may do something unexpected.

Anyone wanting to refresh themselves on the rules of the road can visit the Safer Roads Ottawa website, he added.