Police Crackdown on Law-Breaking Cyclists in Canada

By: Rob Ferguson "Provincial Politics," Published on Fri Aug 30 2013

"Police crackdown on law-breaking cyclists could boost pedal power, says Transportation Minister Glen Murray"



A police crackdown on bike riders who ignore traffic rules could boost safety and make getting around by pedal power more popular, says Ontario’s new cycling strategy obtained by the Star.

To be released Friday by Transportation Minister Glen Murray, the 20-year plan is aimed at creating an environment where more people will take their bikes to work, school and on errands to ease smog, gridlock and boost their health.

It also hopes the province can interconnect more bike lanes and trails locally and between municipalities to better cash in on the boom of cycle tourism sweeping the world.

That means more bike lanes — although there is no mention of financial support from the government, which is facing an $11.7-billion deficit it has promised to eliminate by 2018.

“Ontarians have told us they want transportation options that are convenient and affordable,” Murray says in the 42-page document called #CycleON in hopes the title will become a Twitter hashtag.

“They want transportation that uses less fuel, is safer, causes less pollution and requires less expensive infrastructure.”

Murray’s goal is to make bikes the first transportation choice in peoples’ minds for trips of five kilometres or less. In Toronto, for example, about 1.7 per cent of commuters or an average of 19,780 people cycle to work daily.

Toronto has been waiting for the strategy while it mulls a rule requiring motorists to leave at least one metre of space when passing bikes.

On scofflaw riders, the strategy cites a survey in which only 18 per cent of cyclists say their fellow bike riders follow the rules of the road — such as stopping at stop signs and traffic lights.

“This suggests that higher and more consistent levels of enforcement for cyclists and drivers would increase both the reality and perception of cycling as a safe activity,” states the plan.

It was prompted by a 2012 review of accidental cycling deaths in Ontario by the office of the provincial coroner, which counted 129 such fatalities in the four years ending in 2010.

“If we’re telling kids to go ride a bike instead of sitting in front of a TV or computer screen, we all have a responsibility to ensure our roads are safe,” the strategy quotes Ontario Medical Association president Dr. Scott Wooder as saying.

To get Ontario to be one of the premier cycling jurisdictions by 2033, the strategy also calls for:

*Making sure all new laws and planning policies are bike-friendly, from roads to providing space for cyclists and their needs in residential, commercial and institutional buildings.

*Partnering with municipalities to make sure public transit and cycling are better integrated, so bike riders can more easily take their wheels on trains and buses.

*Working with the federal and municipal governments on funding programs to boost cycling infrastructure. *Better educate cyclists on rules of the road and promote cycling skills, particularly in school classrooms.

*Make roads “complete streets” to accommodate cyclists, cars and pedestrians.

*Develop province-wide advertising campaigns encouraging people to cycle more often.

Read more at "The Star." (thestar.com)