[milomilo]

Nope, they may look like 'controlled access', but they are really just bigger roads, according to the laws. There is nothing inherently different about them than other than they are bigger and more complex. But the same vehicles are allowed on them and the same laws apply as any other roads. So those cyclists were breaking no laws, though they are clearly idiots and sadists.

I'm not sure if anywhere in Canada truly has proper freeways like other countries do (though they may have all the appearances of them), maybe Ontario and Quebec. But 'controlled access' means that the road is a different class of roads to other roads with different rules and standards. They can be called freeways, but other countries have their own names - motorways, autobahns, autoroutes etc.