One cyclist fatality is one too many! Why is it happening?

One cyclist fatality is one too many. But how can we prevent further fatalities and create safer conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike? Dr. Dan Cass, Ontario's regional supervising coroner, is reviewing the recent cyclist fatalities that have occurred throughout the province in order to address the main issues.

Below is the message I sent to Dr. Cass, and I strongly encourage you to submit comments of your own. Together, we can make conditions safer for cyclists, and in my personal opinion, we should be seeking guidance from expert countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark.

You can email your comments to Dr. Dan Cass at occo.inquiries@ontario.ca. Special thanks to Bill Bean's Take the Lane Blog and TriTag for sharing this information.

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Greetings Dr. Cass,

My name is Joshua Joseph, a fourth year urban planning student at the University of Waterloo, and founder of the Region of Waterloo Bicycle Share Initiative (http://www.bikeshare.feds.ca). I would like to provide my input on the issue of cyclist fatalities in Ontario as you complete your review.

As gas prices continue to soar, more Ontario residents are taking to their bicycles to travel within their communities, a method of transportation that reduces traffic congestion, emits zero greenhouse gas emissions, promotes physical activity, and is highly affordable. Unfortunately, many cyclists in Ontario face significant threats to their safety when choosing a ride a bicycle, and I'd like to share my opinions as to why this is occurring:

1) Lack of segregated cycling infrastructure: Cyclists are not motorists, and should not be treated as such. It is essential that cyclists receive their own segregated cycling infrastructure. Countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark, which boast cycling rates of over 20%, have segregated cycling facilities that are safe, efficient, and highly utilized. Pictures of segregated cycling infrastructure physically separates cyclists from motorists, greatly reducing their chance of injury or death. In many cases, cyclists even have their own traffic lights at intersections. A few photos are listed below:

In Denmark: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copenhagen_Style_Bike_Lane_2.jpg
In Netherlands: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bicycle_lane_Dronten.JPG
In Canada (Montreal): http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/06/27/this-is-what-bike-safety-looks-like/
Bicycle traffic lights: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glasgow,_traffic_lights_for_bikes_in_Hope_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1534036.jpg

2) Lack of traffic calming measures and speed reduction policies: Even if a cyclist is wearing a helmet and obeying the rules of the road, if they are struck by a fast moving vehicle, they will likely be seriously injured or even die. In fact, studies have found a relationship between traffic speeds and survival chance among cyclist/pedestrian fatalities. A car traveling at 32 km/h has just a 5% chance of injuring a pedestrian or cyclist, and this percentage jumps to 45% when a car is traveling at 48 km/h and 85% when a car is traveling at 64km/h. * What does this mean for Ontario? It means that when we do have cyclists and motorists traveling closely together on the roadway, we must reduce traffic speeds in order to minimize the chance of death/serious injury if a collision does occur.

3) Lack of education for both cyclists and motorists: In countries with high cycling rates, drivers and cyclists understand eachother's behaviour and act accordingly. In Ontario however, cycling as a form of transportation is relatively new, and motorists are often unaware of a cyclist's presence on the road. This not only reinforces my first point, that cyclists should be separated from motorists, but also that there needs to be a strong educational policy that teaches both drivers and cyclists how to travel safely. Since drivers and cyclists are different, so should their rules of the road (i.e. there should be specific rules for cyclists, specific rules for drivers, and some shared rules among both drivers and cyclists).

4) Lack of focus on the key issues which cause injury and death to cyclists: For years, cyclists who have been injured or killed have been blamed for not wearing a helmet or following the rules of the road. However, if you analyse the data on helmet use and injury, you'll notice a significant trend. The following graph, https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtuIJY-UrSCJbb_VsCxQwiWlcD0RuENT0VoMp9LYLXNlqMDaX_uyAZNoL-_myedCzke_OS_uT-sHrtrP3o_sOk2PUtKoJo6XmfCZrdkqXRAxfd6Eatyjmq8vHpBgFr0vALRO0wCX1gUDI/s1600/dd.jpg, appears to show that high rates of helmet use does not necessarily equate to lower risk of injury or death. For example, if 38% of cyclists in the U.S. wear helmets, why is the fatality rate much higher than in the Netherlands, where 0.1% of people wear helmets? The answer appears to have little to do with helmets and more to do with segregated cycling infrastructure and culture, further supporting my first point.

Dr. Cass, as an individual who wants to see Ontario communities become more cyclist friendly, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to share my comments with you. If you have any comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you and working together to create a more bicycle friendly Ontario!

Best Regards,

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Joshua Joseph
Candidate for Bachelor of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo
Director of Active Transportation, UWaterloo Sustainability Project
Transportation Executive, Waterloo Students Planning Advisory
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josephmjosh@gmail.com | 1-519-897-5394 | LinkedIn