Existence of Bike Lanes Closely Linked to Increase in Bike Traffic

January 23, 2019, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

It should come as no surprise. The safer people feel doing an activity the more likely they are to participate in the activity. In a good news for cyclist story, Toronto city staff are recommending that temporary bike lanes on a number of downtown streets be made permanent after studies showed that there is a significant increase in the number of cyclist travelling on those roads since they were put in place. Studies also show that there has been minimal impact on car travel times as a result of the lanes.

The rate of use is up an astounding 1,194% in two years. There are an estimated 4,776 riders in the measure 8-hour period (morning and afternoon) in the downtown on certain routes. Others have only seen an 828% increase in use. The bike lanes have also led to a significant 73% decrease in collisions involving cyclists. It shows that when vulnerable road users are accommodated then everyone can benefit. The remaining areas of conflict for cyclists and motor vehicles are the delivery and drop off zones where vehicles block the cycling lane and force cyclists to merge with vehicle traffic. The City is currently investigating ways to eliminate the conflicts.

As part of the report the city did a survey about safety and comfort of cyclists and drivers.

Perception of Safety and Comfort
Cyclist Comfort
An online survey was conducted from December 2014 to December 2017 to gather input on perception of safety and comfort and received 9,070 responses from cyclists. The survey found that cyclists' perception of safety and comfort increased significantly
after installation of the cycle tracks. The average overall perception of cyclist safety and comfort increased from 3.4 points before cycle track installation to 8.4 points after cycle track installation. Responses are on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being very
unsafe/uncomfortable and 10 being very safe/comfortable. 

Safety and Collisions
Driver Comfort

An online survey was conducted from December 2014 to December 2017 to gather input on perception of safety and comfort and received 2,614 responses from drivers. The survey found that drivers' perception of comfort increased significantly after
Richmond Street and Adelaide Street Cycle Tracks Page 11 of 34 installation of the cycle tracks. The average overall perception of driver comfort increased from 5.2 points before cycle track installation to 8.1 points after cycle track installation. Responses are on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being very uncomfortable and 10 being very comfortable.

It is great to have the city of Toronto doing some of the heavy lifting for cyclist safety in the province. I hope that our local and regional governments continue to accommodate cyclists and safety.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

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