locutas_of_spragge's blog

Motorists who harass cyclists, by honking, yelling at us, or buzzing us have no excuse. They don't even have the lousy excuse that we hold them up, because we don't. Motorists who harass cyclists do it because they can. They have a steel cage to protect them from the consequences of their behaviour, and an engine to run away. Other people suffer the consequences; often the most vulnerable of road users. To see an example of this, take a look at the accompanying video.

As an idea, you can't argue with it: cyclists shouldn't kill pedestrians. Moreover, cycling culture should take the obligation not to kill pedestrians very seriously indeed, and jurisdictions, from the city to the province, with responsibility for traffic safety should frame a comprehensive strategy to ensure the cyclists who do not understand our shared responsibilities get the message.

So how did the recent Globe and Mail editorial, which tried to make these simple points, do such a bad job? The answer partly lies in the atrocious phrasing the editorial claims cyclists should "know our place". And if we don't, do y'all have a rope, a tree and a bunch of good ole boys to teach us? Some phrases just bring up too many bad memories, and editorial writers should leave such phrases out of their tool boxes. Whoever wrote this particular editorial then added pomposity to their list of rhetorical blunders by writing this: "We do not occupy a planet where cyclist safety trumps all else." I get it: cyclists don't have a right to risk other people's lives to stay safe ourselves.

As the video title suggests, this video shows incidents on a ride from the West End of Toronto to Canada's Wonderland. It shows some good cycling by me and some bad cycling, some good driving and some bad driving, and some road design problems. It happens to provide some excellent examples that show why cyclists find riding in the outer suburbs of Toronto a pretty daunting proposition.

in which I provide a tour of some interesting parts of the West End, this time going up Ostler to Dav, then to Old Weston, Rogers, and back down Keele, along St Clair to Runnymede, and back down to Annette, thence to Jane. Along the way I and make some observations about road courtesy, safety, and driver behaviour.

To judge by the number of people who don't know exactly what to make of my helmet camera, not all that many Toronto cyclists wear helmet cameras on a regular basis. Perhaps a few more of us should consider it. If more people saw what the streets look like to cyclists, we might get more support, particularly if we put our stories together into a narrative. I think about the series Whale Wars on the Animal Planet TV show. I don't generally agree with Paul Watson or the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, but first-hand footage of their struggle makes for an exciting narrative, and I have to say that having watched their struggles, I have somewhat more sympathy for the Sea Shepherds than I did before I started watching the series. Cyclists have compelling and exciting stories to tell, and if those of us who record our rides put our footage together, maybe we too could come up with a basis for a show to pitch to Discovery or TLC or even TVO.

The Globe, the Star, and 680 news have all reported that the police charged a cyclist with careless driving after a woman suffered a skull fracture from a bicycle vs pedestrian collision Tuesday July 5 at Huron and Dundas. According to the police news release, the accident took place as the woman crossed in the crosswalk with the light.

I hope the woman injured in this tragic incident makes a full recovery. I hope the cyclist behaved more responsibly than the press and police reports make it appear. I hope the public and politicians keep their sense of proportion when discussing cycling issues. I know that I make my share of mistakes as a cyclist, as a driver, and even as a pedestrian. I know how easily a misjudged distance, or a vehicle not seen clearly at night can turn into a crash.

BUT...

Here we go with another You-Tube video. This one may stir up a bit more controversy, because unlike my previous efforts, I haven't shown what my rides look like; I've shown what motorists' driving looks like. In this case, I've tried to show what passing a cyclist looks, and feels like. I have a few very close passes in two rides, both into the outer suburbs of Toronto.

This video doesn't do justice to the cycling experience, since I just wanted to talk about passing here. I actually left out a lot of really beautiful riding footage from some lovely roads because it didn't make my point. I'll try to put together another video to show the beauty and the pleasure of riding -- soon, I hope.

This video shows the wide variety of conditions for cyclists in the West End of Toronto, everything from major streets (Keele) with no bicycle lanes to really major high-speed roads (Queensway) with bicycle lanes.