Torontoist: Riding All Over Pedestrians

Apricot

Mon, 26 May 2008 11:13:59 -0500

Hey, I'm glad to see this issue addressed. I support cyclists - they are reducing the vehicular traffic and making the city a less smelly place...but they really can be frustrating to pedestrians. My husband and I joke that there is an ongoing feud between runners and cyclists. It can be a quiet residential neighbourhood in the early morning before rush hour begins and joggers will still jostle cyclists over sidewalk sanctity. Has anyone else noticed this?

mark0

Fri, 23 May 2008 11:52:31 -0500

I bike to work most days and I have to say that, as much as cycling is great (for your health, the environment, fun), too many cyclists ignore the rules of the road. It's not just bike couriers (who may actually be insane) but regular bike commuters who ride straight through red lights/stop signs, don't stop behind streetcars. I'm not innocent, I've broken rules of the road before, but usually really late at night and on empty back streets. Never during rush hour. The rules apply to all vehicles on the street, not just cars, and they're there to prevent accidents that can often result in fatalities. I'm not saying that motorists aren't to blame, either. They certainly are a lot of the time, but many cyclists don't excercise the level of caution that they should. Riding your bike on the sidewalk is also just asking for trouble. Unless your a little kid, get your bike on the road.

jaymo

Fri, 23 May 2008 11:31:00 -0500

Fantastic article and beautiful photography ;-) I have hit pedestrians twice and I never, ever ride on the sidewalk. I find that persons on foot don't regard cyclists as traffic and as such, have no problem with casually stepping out into the road, often appearing suddenly from behind a parked minivan or some other huge vehicle. There seems to be an attitude out there that people on bikes should go out of their way to avoid such people, when often it means swerving out into another lane with not enough time to do so safely. If everyone - pedestrians, motorists, cyclists - were just a bit more careful, it would be a hell of a lot safer out there.

Kevin Plummer

Thu, 22 May 2008 23:34:23 -0500

And, the best metrics the city could provide regarding various pedestrian collision types are contained in this report [PDF]. Sadly, there's scarce mention of cyclist-pedestrian collisions at all.

Kevin Plummer

Thu, 22 May 2008 23:19:26 -0500

That's absolutely horrible news, tino, and all the more reason that motorists need to pay closer attention to the cyclists who share the road, and the city has to do whatever it can to promote bike-friendly policies so that everyone is safe on their drive or ride.

tino

Thu, 22 May 2008 22:59:25 -0500

ay 22, 2008 09:08 PM Dan Robson Staff Reporter A 57 year-old male cyclist was killed today after a collision with an opening car door hurled him into oncoming traffic. He was the city's 20th traffic fatality this year. The accident occurred as the man was biking eastbound on Eglinton Ave., near Braemar Ave., just after 1 p.m. this afternoon. The cyclist was struck by a Ford cube van after colliding with the driver's side door of a parked Volvo, police say. He was taken to hospital, but died from his injuries around 5 p.m. this evening. Police are asking for any witnesses to the collision to call 416-808-1900.

Miles Storey

Thu, 22 May 2008 21:06:00 -0500

Great article. I have every sympathy with cyclists and their adventures on the road but that sympathy disappears for the minority who decide that to avoid the dangers of the road they'll create their own on the sidewalk. I've seen three accidents at the downtown intersection where I most often wait for a streetcar, all of them involving a bike hitting a pedestrian, two of them cyclists swerving onto the crosswalk to avoid having to stop at a red light, the other was on the sidewalk.

Dayfat

Thu, 22 May 2008 20:43:30 -0500

Each morning, Trinity-Bellwoods has a bunch of jerks who zoom by on their bikes without ringing their bells. I'm talking inches away from me and my girlfriend some times. When I called one such douchebag on it this morning and he turned and smirked as you rode away and said, "What, you can't hear me coming?" No, I can't when the only sound you make is wind going through your spokes. As a cyclist, I've almost been dinged a few times on College and Bloor by people getting out of cabs. I wonder if he'd be cool with someone suddenly opening a door on him if they then told him to look harder next time.

TokyoTuds

Thu, 22 May 2008 19:05:09 -0500

Indeed, I am a pedestrian first and a cyclist second. As Rek says, here in Japan there are many bike lanes integrated into the sidewalk instead of the road, and should be an option considered. But one of my great pet peeves here in japan is that cyclists will go on a narrow sidewalk with no bike lane, and hover behind you ringing their bell like there is a fire to get to. And these are no couriers, but middle-aged ladies out grocery shopping. It is a good problem to have, but I shake my head every time. I have actually overtaken the same cyclist in the next block as they can't get around the next group of pedestrians. And this is near my office, which has a lovely, quiet, one-way cobblestone street. Cyclists who use the street there and stick close to the curb have a safe, smooth and fast route. Azabu-Juban Neighbourhood http://www.tokyoessentials.com/azabu-juban.html Cheers, Tuds

wardnikoff

Thu, 22 May 2008 17:43:11 -0500

As a biker with extensive experience on T.O. roads with a total of one door prize and no accidents to show for thousands of hours riding...the most hazerdous situations are the ones with perceived saftey. Crosswalks, green lights and bike lanes are very dangerous. Bike like they are out to get you and always keep your eyes open..."head on a swivel" as my hockey coaches say. Oh, and if you do go on the sidewalks....slow the f%#k down and stay out of everyones way...

Padraic

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:52:03 -0500

Great piece. Cyclists and pedestrians are politcal allies, and we should all act like it.

tyrannosaurus_rek

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:47:45 -0500

In Osaka, a city where you can find bicycle parking lots (10+ racks, fencing, roof) at train stations, bike lanes are built into the sidewalk. It's a meter wide lane of blue bricks between the regular sidewalk and the curb. Bike lanes don't always have to be part of the road; insisting on it ensures they will always come second to parking and other car considerations.

valerieintoronto

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:29:31 -0500

I'm mainly a pedestrian, so I really appreciate the points made here. This is a smaller point, but from all I've observed on the sidestreets, I have to wonder if stop signs are actually optional for cyclists (like U-turns are somehow allowed for cab drivers.) Good luck everybody.

David Topping

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:42:07 -0500

(That "something" that produces aggressive behaviour in cyclists is adrenaline. There's an abundant supply of it when you bike downtown.) I've gotta say, as someone who TTCs, walks, drives, and bikes regularly, my respect for and understanding of each mode of transportation comes largely out of having occupied nearly every role possible on the street. That's why I've always found it strange when people don't respect people on foot; like those great City of Toronto ads say, we're all pedestrians.

scientz

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:19:40 -0500

Biking is terrifying in Amsterdam. Everybody just goes when they feel like it, and it's always so crowded. It's easier biking in other Dutch cities, though. I hope I won't be so frightened to bike in Toronto when I get home. Good article.

MariaPD

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:11:10 -0500

Great article. I'm a pedestrian and occasional cyclist and I understand the positions of both sides. Thanks.