safety

Roncesvalles is trying very hard to find the right balance as they re-prioritize their street for pedestrians, public transit, bikes, and delivery vehicles. Roncy is seeing all sorts of ideas being proposed to keep cyclists on the road whilst keeping the streetcar track clear [Ed: read more on the proposed elevated roadway "bump-outs" for streetcars that cyclists can ride over]. At the January meeting many people proposed removing all private motor traffic on Roncesvalles, except for delivery vehicles. Very progressive!

I briefly lived in Parkdale, but I moved to Mimico. And after seeing the difference in the attitudes towards city building, I kinda wished I hadn't.

As part of Transit City, it is proposed for Lakeshore's streetcar tracks to become part of the LRT network.

Just in time for the Spring cycling rush, the Toronto Star posted a new Map of the Week: Bike accidents. This map of "accidents" on the streets of Toronto gives a quick and handy guide to the cyclist-related carnage on Toronto's streets.

I haven't studied this map in great detail yet, but it doesn't look like things have changed that much from other similar maps I've seen in the past. Some typical observations on these maps:

• The core east-west streets (Bloor, College, Queen, etc.) seem to have solid patterns and high concentrations of "accidents".
• Some of the north-south streets like Bay and University look bad too.
• The number of cycling "accidents" drops quickly once you get out of the core. Most likely because the number of cyclists drops too.
• There are lots of "accidents" even when a bike lane is in place (e.g. Davenport).
• This map also confirms that there are cyclists in Scarborough (unfortunately, they have "accidents" too).

According to The Star, who saved you plenty of time by not having to click on ALL of the dots, here are the worst intersections in Toronto:

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It seems like such a long time ago (December 17, 2008 - last year!) when the Toronto Star reported that the City is considering adding rumble strips to the Lawrence Ave. bike lanes when they are installed. My apologies for taking so long to post something on I Bike T.O. about it...

Anyway, I'm glad that folks at the City are looking at new ideas and considering different types of infrastructure that haven't been tried yet in Toronto. I'm sure Toronto's bikeway planners are constantly bombarded with suggestions that in reality might not be so easy to implement (Bollards! Grade-separation! Velotubes! Car-free everything! One-way exceptions!), but this rumble-strip idea should actually be a pretty simple one.

However, before we get all excited, I think we need to take a look at a few things about this idea.

What problem(s) does this solve?
According to the article, the purpose of rumble strips is to warn motorists that they are veering towards the bike lane, due to inattention (good jabs at cell-phone talkers and coffee-sippers!), thereby preventing the dreaded "hit from behind" type of collision.

What problems does it NOT solve?

This interactive on-line “Driving Challenge” from the United Kingdom’s Department for Transport raises some great points about driving distractions, especially the widespread usage of mobile phones.

I missed 8 questions and 5 pedestrian points… think you can beat the Marginator?!? Take the test and post your score in the comments area. No spoilers please! Thanks to Anthony for bringing this link to my attention. Drive safe!

Please find below a statement written Michael Heilbronn - sent to me by his son Tovi - about the weekly Donut Rides in Toronto.

From Wikipedia:

The tour was first organized in 1976 as the team ride of the Scarborough Cycling Club, affiliated with a bike store in Scarborough, two of the primary organizers being Roger Keiley and Barry Hastings. As the ride grew in popularity it moved to a new starting point more centralized in Toronto, although still somewhat east of the core. It remained associated with a bike store for some time, and was insured by the Ontario Cycling Association. A serious accident in the 1990s led to the entire group being sued, and since then the ride is completely unofficial.

Sad to say it's not the first time I have heard of crashes on this ride. I know there are many roadies who are very passionate about this ride. I know many people who have been on this touring ride for years. I have never tried it. Seemed too dangerous. Sadly the safety issues of this ride go beyond speed, inexperience or cars. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

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blockquote>HOW MANY CYCLING VICTIMS WILL IT TAKE?

Nothing prepared me for this. During fifty years of cycling, I feared danger from motor vehicles, but never from another cyclist. I was wrong.

The Bike Writers Collective of Los Angeles came up with a Cyclists' Bill of Rights a few months ago. They claim that cyclists already have all these rights, but they wanted to spell it out. None, I suspect, should be controversial except perhaps the claim that cyclists and their bikes have the right to use mass transit with no limitations. Even during rush hour? On any bus or subway car? A radical idea.

The Bill of Rights has become a rallying cry for different groups in L.A. and now is before city council as a resolution.

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blockquote>WHEREAS, cyclists have the right to ride the streets of our communities and this right is formally articulated in the California Vehicle Code; and

WHEREAS, cyclists are considered to be the “indicator species” of a healthy community; and

WHEREAS, cyclists are both environmental and traffic congestion solutions; and

WHEREAS, cyclists are, first and foremost, people - with all of the rights and privileges that come from being members of this great society; and

Test Your Awareness : Whodunnit?
Another cute little vid from TfL.

Also check out

And

In a hit and run overnight, a cyclist came close to death after having his leg severed.

There are stories here:
City News
680 News
The Star
The Star (Updated story)

From the City News story:

Officers picked the taxi driver up and brought him into a station for questioning, as the cab, with a sizeable dent in the back end, sat in the man's driveway. It's being said the cabbie had wounds consistent with a beating but cops aren't completely convinced those injuries were the result of an attempted robbery. Among their questions, why it took three hours from the time of the incident to the time the driver called them.

Investigators are still deciding whether to lay charges.

The police have not yet laid charges, as they continue their investigation. A cab driver has contacted the police claiming to have been robbed at about the same time and same place. Witnesses say there was a heated argument before the crash.