Passing Motions On New Cycling Lane of Colborne St – First Session Completed
A successful completion of the first video documentation session of passing motions in the northbound lane of Colborne Street in London Ontario was completed by Gorski Consulting on August 29, 2023.
The next procedures will involve shrinking each video so it can be inserted into a video editting program (Adobe Premiere), where all the synchronized views are combined. Following this the analysis of video content can begin. While there has been no official count, my impression while at the site is that the number northbound cyclists appeared to have increased compared to previous sessions. The official analysis will determine if this impression is accurate.
The video session occurred between 1600 and 1800 hours. The session occurred on a Tuesday so this would be representative of a workday situation. This would be a time when many cyclists would be leaving the downtown area, perhaps on their way home. Motor vehicle traffic volumes would also be expected to be higher during this evening rush hour.
What we hope to accomplish with this data is a comparison to previous video sessions before the painted cycling lane was created. While there is much opinion about the safety, or lack of it, provided by painted cycling lanes there is essentially no objective data collected by anyone to examine the details of how cyclists and motor vehicles interact at such lanes. Our documentations are the only publicly available data of these interactions. Stay tuned as we conduct the analysis and report it on this Gorski Consulting website.
Painting of Cycling Lane on Colborne St Completed – Additional Observations Can Begin
The City of London has finally completed painting the new cycling lane on Colborne Street between Oxford and Cheapside Streets. Gorski Consulting attended the site on August 27, 2023 and applied fresh paint to the orange markers that were painted there prior to observations in April 2023. With these actions completed observations can begin of cyclists and motor vehicles in the same manner as was done earlier this year when the cycling lane did not yet exist.
Additional markers had to be added across the road because the creation of the cycling lane. Thus originally the markers were painted over a width of just 2.0 metres. Now additional markers have been painted to create a width of 3.0 metres. This is needed to capture the lateral position of motor vehicles which will be travelling further away from the east curb due to the presence of the cycling lane. In the original set-up observations were conducted as shown in the photo below. It will be interesting to see if and how the lateral positions of traffic units changes due to the creation of the cycling lane.
In a CBC News article published on August 23, 2023 the City of London claimed that overall cycling volume increased by 15 percent between 2022 and 2023. The City also claimed that cycling volume increased by 50 percent at its counters located at Dundas and Colborne. While that appears to be good news there is still no attention being paid to the safety of riders. Other then counting cyclist volumes at its designated traffic counters there appears to be no other study by the City that examines whether the infrastructure on which cyclists ride is sufficient to keep riders reasonably safe.
Safe Sharing of Sidewalks Between Cyclists and Pedestrians is Achievable
Pedestrians being struck and injured by cyclists riding on sidewalks is one of the main reasons why many jurisdictions make sidewalk riding illegal. Yet, with proper actions by the cyclist, a safe coexistence can occur. In the example shown in the photo above the cyclist is riding on the sidewalk because riding in the right lane of Oxford Street is dangerous to cyclists. Oxford is a main arterial road in London that provides no safe opportunity for cyclists to ride in the right lane. In particular many cyclists simply fail to wear helmets, often due to ignorance but also because many persons and cycling organizations, who ought to know better, tell cyclists that helmets do not matter. When struck from the rear by a motor vehicle a cyclist’s head often strikes dangerously stiff portions of the vehicle exterior when helmet use could be of substantial benefit. Much like a seat-belt a helmet may not prevent all injury but in the vast number of instances they reduce the severity of injuries. Thus when cyclists do not wear helmets it becomes even more important that they stay out of traffic lanes and ride on a sidewalk.
As shown in the next photo, a crucial part of responsible cycling is to warn vulnerable pedestrians, in reasonable time and distance, of their approach. We can see below that the woman pushing the stroller has turned her head possibly because the cyclist has rung his bell thus allowing her to consider how she might avoid the oncoming cyclist. Many instances of collision with pedestrians is that cyclists fail to reduce their speed on approach whereas it is very easy for a cyclist to reduce his/her speed to a level which is less than 5 km/h higher than the vulnerable pedestrian. Such actions can give everyone involved plenty of time to react to each other.
As shown in the next photo, the cyclist has chosen to ride off the sidewalk while the man in the medical cart has also chosen to ride closer to the right edge of the sidewalk. With proper warning given by the cyclist, and a slow speed, such passing motions can be performed in safety.
In the photo below it can be seen that the cyclist can pass the female and her stroller in safety because the female moved over to the right while the cyclist has moved over to the left. This passing motion can be done in safety if both partners perform their actions correctly. This cannot be done if the cyclist does not provide sufficient warning of his approach and he does not reduce his speed.
In summary, pedestrians and cyclists can co-exist on sidewalks in safety if proper procedures are in place. Most importantly cyclists need to understand their obligations when riding on sidewalks. When in the presence of pedestrians they need to give sufficient warning of their presence and they need to slow down such that they are travelling only a few kilometres per hour faster than the speed of the pedestrian. These procedures must to taught to all persons involved but mostly to cyclists who have control over how a passing motion unfolds. Cyclists need not be banished to dangerous travel lanes of arterial roads where they could meet their death from impact by much larger and heavier motor vehicles. With proper guidance and enforcement by authorities cyclists and pedestrians can co-exist on sidewalks.
Guilty Verdict in Cyclist Hit-&-Run Collision Ends Further Inquiry
The only important matter is that we find someone guilty. Then we can move on to the next future tragedy. That seems to be the case in a well-publicized cyclist hit-&-run collision where the cyclist was permanently disabled.
Much publicity has been focused recently on the trial of a motor vehicle driver, Jesse Aaron Bleck, whose vehicle struck a cyclist on Exeter Road near Wonderland Road in London, Ontario, on July 21, 2019. The cyclist who was struck, Tristan Roby, suffered major and permanent brain injuries and is currently reportedly confined to a wheelchair and a very altered future.
A few days ago Bleck was found guilty of being the driver in the hit-&-run collision. Much publicity was given to the fact that Roby and his family could close this difficult chapter and move on. And to some degree, this is a successful end. Yet, the result is troubling.
Although news media focused on the court proceedings with respect to who was driving, essentially nothing was reported on how and why the collision happened. And there has been no concern expressed by anyone that this lack of information existed. Whether it be the police, or news media, politicians or anyone interested in cycling safety, or road safety as a whole, expressed any concern that the public was provided with no information as to how and why the collision happened. And this is a merry-go-round that keeps being revisited after each collision tragedy.
Officially many persons express their desire to achieve the propaganda of Vision Zero. Various improvements are discussed, often related to roadway design improvements, driver controls, vehicle design improvements. Yet very little thought is given to the practical changes that are essential with respect to how we learn from previous tragedies. Details as to how and why a major collision occurred are continually hidden from public view. This leads to the fact that very few persons have even a minimal understanding of the complexity of collision causes. This reality is demonstrated over and over again when various persons express their thoughts about major collisions that occur and these are displayed in social media chats or in official news media articles. In the absence of knowledge and education the standard beliefs exist that all “drivers are stupid” except for the holder of that opinion. Whenever a collision occurs opinions are expressed that the particular road where the collision occurred is “the most dangerous” and that something must be changed, regardless of whether there is any objective data to determine what exactly needs correction. Opinions are given that speeds on a particular roadway are much too fast and the posted speed limits must be reduced, with the belief that reducing the posted speed will magically reduce average speeds. And opinions are expressed that, when average speeds are reduced, safety is improved, with no consideration whether the behavior of the very small group of problem drivers has been changed.
The greater tragedy in the Tristan Roby collision is that, without knowing how and why the collision occurred, we are building the foundations for the occurrence of the next tragedy because we have learned nothing from it.
Highbury Ave Fatal Collision at Dingman Drive
Not unexpectedly little of educational value was provided by police and official news media about the fatal collision that occurred on Monday morning, August 14, 2023 at 0800 hours at the intersection of Highbury Ave and Dingman Drive in south London, Ontario. The best coverage was given by CTV News in London which quoted a resident who complained about the high volume of traffic using Dingman Drive ever since the new Costco location was opened up a few kilometres west of the intersection.
What needs to be emphasized is that Highbury Ave has seen an increase in traffic volume and this causes problems for drivers on crossroads who need to enter HIghbury or cross it.
On March 17, 2022 Gorski Consulting reviewed the safety issues on Highbury Ave in a Gorski Consulting website article entitled : “NO PRETTY WAY TO DISCUSS SOMEONE BEING BURNED ALIVE – SO OUR RESPONSE IS TO HIDE IT”. In that article we discussed some of the serious and fatal collisions that have been happening in recent years on Highbury Ave. While all these are tragic, one was particularly so in that it led to a local woman being burned alive after a serious head-on collision in October of 2020.
Since the article was published several other collisions have been reported by news media along Highbury Ave but very little useful information has been provided. On November 18, 2022 the OPP reported on their Twitter page that a single vehicle collision occurred along Highbury Ave but the precise location was not given except that it occurred somewhere in Central Elgin County. The driver sustained serious injuries but no further information was provided.
In February of 2023 two collisions were reported. On February 4, a three-vehicle collision occurred on Highbury Ave within the curve between Carr Road and Weber Bourne. Extensive damage was reported but there were no serious injuries. The roadway surface was reported to be “extremely slick” but there was no official indication what relevance the surface conditions had to the collision cause.
On February 24, 2023 the OPP reported on their Twitter page that a two-vehicle collision occurred on Highbury Ave between Ferguson Line and Truman Line. An on-site photo taken by CTV News showed that a garbage truck had collided with a passenger vehicle and that both vehicles had come to a stop close to an intersection. Four persons were reportedly taken to hospital but none of the injuries were considered life-threatening. The photo would suggest that this was an angle collision related to the intersection but no official confirmation of that was provided by police.
On May 23, 2023 reports were available of a collision between a transport truck and a van at the intersection of Highbury Ave and Wilton Grove Road. No information was provided about the basics of the collision except that one person was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. It would have been helpful if officials had reported if this was an intersection-related collision but even that basic fact was no disclosed.
On June 6, 2023 it was reported that a collision occurred between a transport truck and a car on Highbury Ave near Ron McNeil Line. It was reported that a southbound car crossed the roadway centre-line and collided with the rear wheel of a northbound transport truck. The car subsequently rolled over. The car driver was taken to hospital with unknown injuries. No information was provided as to why the car crossed the roadway centreline.
While the above five collisions have been documented by Gorski Consulting and we try to maintain a reasonable vigilance of collisions occurring in the region it is not possible for us to become aware of every reported collision and it is impossible for us to know about the many non-reported collisions that occur. Thus it is up to the authorities whose responsibility it is to keep the public safe to maintain a detailed account of collisions occurring in the region and to conduct a reasonable analysis that will flag those areas where safety may be in jeopardy. Given the high traffic volume along Highbury Ave between London and St Thomas there should be some attention given to problem areas that would appear to be obvious. Even from minimal observation it is possible to note that drivers on crossroads such as Dingman Drive, Westminster Drive, Manning Drive and Glanworth Drive experience significant difficulties in crossing or entering Highbury Ave, particularly at morning and evening rush hours.
The details of the present collision at Dingman Drive will likely never be divulged and nothing is likely to be learned from any information collected by official entities. However some further details can be gained. Gorski Consulting visited the collision site later in the day on August 14, 2023 once police re-opened the site to the public.
The photo below was taken at approximately 1720 hours or a little more than nine hours after the collision which reportedly occurred at 0800 hours. The collision time would be at the morning rush hour and the photo below shows the conditions during the evening rush hour. The photo shows a view looking southbound on Highbury Ave and the crossroad of Dingman Drive can be seen beyond the concrete barriers. An eastbound van/SUV is stopped on Dingman Drive and this allows us to see what portions of the stopped vehicle would be available to the driver of a southbound passenger car.
The Dump truck involved in this collision was southbound so its driver would have seen a similar view to what is shown in the above photo. However an important difference is that, while the eye height of a passenger car driver might be in the range of 1.2 to 1.3 metres above the pavement, the Dump truck driver’s eyes might be in the range of 2.4 to 2.6 metres high. Thus the Dump truck driver should have been able to see a larger portion of the stopped eastbound vehicle than what is depicted in the above photo.
The line of southbound vehicles shown in the above photo is typical of the conditions that were observed, although there were also temporary conditions where lines of traffic were clear. Some of gaps in traffic can be seen in the northbound vehicles approaching Dingman. The variability of traffic congestion means that drivers intending to cross or enter Highbury do not understand that, if they wait long enough, the lines of traffic will disburse somewhat and a better opportunity to make a motion will become available.
Congestions and gaps in Highbury traffic occur for many reasons but one common reason is that slower traffic, including large trucks, imped the intensions of many drivers who want to go faster. This often creates a long line of traffic behind the slower vehicle. Sometimes dangerous passing motions occur when impatient drivers attempt to pass the slower vehicle, often in areas where passing is dangerous. Thus we have areas along Highbury where traffic volume is variable and this causes problems for drivers on crossroads who believe that the line of traffic they see is likely to be endless and they must take chances if they are to cross or enter Highbury. This leads to situations like the one shown below, which was also taken shortly after 1700 hours on August 14th.
Given the lack of basic information about the present collision it is not possible to know why the driver of the eastbound pick-up truck came to be positioned in the middle of Highbury Ave when his vehicle was struck on the left side by the southbound Dump truck. All we know is that a long length of skid marks were caused by the Dump truck commencing at the point where the impact occurred, as shown in the photo below.
When event data from a event data recorder (EDR) is not available to tell us about the speed of the Dump truck, we must use the length of the skid marks to make that calculation. However, although the skid marks begin at the point of impact, this does not necessarily mean the the front end of the Dump truck was at the beginning of the skid marks when they were made. It is often that the rear wheels of such a truck produce the first skid marks and therefore we sometimes need to subtract the truck’s length from the skid mark distance in order to conduct the speed calculation.
Furthermore we also need to look at the characteristics of the skid marks to be certain that they are indicative of a vehicle sliding with full wheel lock-up through to the final rest position of the vehicle. The photo below shows the skid marks as they lead toward the west ditch of Highbury where the two vehicles came to rest.
We can also look at the evidence on the west roadside to confirm if maximum braking likely continued to final rest, as shown in the photo below.
Measurements at the site indicated that the front of the Dump truck came to rest approximately 78 metres south of the beginning of the skid marks. If we concluded that this represented the distance that the Dump truck moved while sliding to rest then we could apply a typical “speed from skid” calculation to estimate the truck’s speed at impact. Using the skid distance and an estimated level of deceleration of 0.6g would result in an impact speed of the Dump truck of about 109 km/h. The maximum posted speed for Highbury Ave is 80 km/h. So we might question if there is sufficient grounds to conclude that the Dump truck was speeding.
If we conclude that the start of the skid marks was produced by the rear wheels of the Dump truck we would typically subtract the truck’s length (about 12 metres) from the skid distance and, recalculating, come up with an impact speed of about 100.5 km/h. We might then consider other factors such as the speed loss from impact and whether certain complications existed in these simplified calculations. But overall police ought to be examining evidence such as this to provide a proper explanation about how and why this collision occurred. And these facts should be properly reported to the public who also have a stake in these consequences because any member of the public could be the next victim.
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