Cycling Abandonment? So Now What?

by | Dec 30, 2024 |

This view from December 3, 2024 shows the cycling lane on Brydges/Wavell Street in East London Ontario just after almost a half metre of snow fell in the previous 24 hours. The motor vehicle traffic lane has been completely cleared of snow but the cycling lane has been left untouched and impassable.

The City of London Ontario made a declaration of a climate emergency a few years ago. This was supposed to be a wake up call. Our habits needed to change and this included the way we travel. This was good political posturing that stumbled in its application. A need to increase the cycling mode of transportation from 1% to 25% was advised by one of the City’s advisory committees. This was later downgraded to about 5% by City politicians. Never-the-less a 500% increase in the cycling population was an ambitious goal. Some increases in cycling were noted over the last several years but nothing compared to the City’s goal.

Where the City’s ambitions “failed” can be seen in the example of the cycling lane recently created on Brydges/Wavell Streets in east London. In the following we present a history of the site’s collisions, how the cycling lane became created and what special safety problems still exist for cyclists and drivers of motor vehicles. Cyclists need to know that some portions of protected cycling lanes are not protective and this is demonstrated in this review.

Historical Review of Brydges/Wavell Site

The Googlemaps graphic below shows the site of the Brydges/Wavell roadway with respect to the boundaries of the City of London. As a collector road it runs parallel to the main arterial roadway of Dundas Street which is located about 800 metres to the north. A parallel, arterial road, Trafalgar Road, is also a similar distance to the south. We cannot read the minds of the City staff or politicians who recommended this cycling installation, as much of these decisions are cloaked in secrecy. However it may have been reasoned that this new installation would take cyclists away from these busy roads where no cycling infrastructure exists.

The orange circle shows the location of the Brydges/Wavell site with respect to the boundaries of the City of London, Ontario.

An aerial, Googlemaps view of the western portion of the Brydges/Wavell site is shown below.

Googlemaps view of Brygdes and Wavell Streets in East London, Ontario. Hale Street is located at the bottom left. Note the two curves that exist through the road segment, along with elementary schools, Kiwanis Park and Pottersburg Creek.

Collisions had a history of occurring at the two curves of the site. To the west there was a curve at Cornish Street and to the east there was a second curve at Spruce Street. This should not have been surprising since someone with collision reconstruction experience would know that there is a greater likelihood of a single-vehicle exit from a roadway wherever there is such a curve.

Many collisions occurred when eastbound vehicles on Brydges Street approached the curve at Cornish and failed to pass through the curve, crashing into roadside obstacles on the south side of the curve. An example of this is shown in the following photos below.

In this example, an eastbound SUV went out of control at the curve of Brydges St at Cornish Street in December, 2020. A couple of trees was toppled along with a fence. Also a major Bell Canada telephone exchange box was completely destroyed requiring many days of repair.
View of the telephone junction box that was destroyed and one of the trees that was uprooted by the collision on December 17, 2020.
View on the following day, December 18, 2020, showing tire marks on the grass roadside where the vehicle exited Brydges Street. Numerous Bell Canada vehicles were observed at the site for many weeks as their large junction box had to be replaced.
View looking back westward showing the tire marks and the curve of Brydges Street at Cornish Street.

The existence of the curve at Cornish is not the only issue. The City of London has demonstrated that its lack of attention to maintenance has exacerbated the problem. For example, when a utility pole was struck down on approach to the curve by an eastbound vehicle the City failed to detect that a “curve warning” sign, which was originally attached to the pole, was not reattached. While such signs are not monumental in collision prevention they are helpful to drivers who pay attention that they are approaching a curve. This is another example of the lack of accountability by the City of safety hazards that they create.

A precarious situation also existed for many years at the curve of Brydges/Wavell and Spruce Street. Road surface repairs were partially completed at the curve in 2013 leaving a patch of bumpy pavement. This was more important because, as vehicles passed through the curve they required a pavement with consistent traction so that it would not contribute to a loss of control of the vehicle. Furthermore signage, required to warn drivers of the surface condition, was not installed for many months.

View, looking west along Brydges/Wavell at the curve at Spruce Street on January 31,2014. A crossing guard is positioned on the edge of the curve where students are escorted across the road. When a westbound vehicle loses control it will drift off the road surface and into where the crossing guard is standing.
View, looking west at the curve at Spruce Street. A road repair was performed in 2013 but the surface work was not completed leaving a bumpy surface precisely at the location where westbound vehicles needed consistent traction in order to pass through the curve safely. No “Bump” warning sign was posted for many months while the condition existed.

Oblivious to the potential danger, school crossing guards often positioned themselves at the outside of the curve, sometimes sitting in a lawn chair, as shown in the example below.

This view from November 25, 2013 shows a school crossing guard sitting on a lawn chair on the outside edge of the curve at Spruce Street. If a vehicle happened to go out of control it would likely exit toward where the crossing guard is sitting and the crossing guard would have a limited opportunity to react to escape being struck.

Subsequent to the photo shown above, two days later, on November 27, 2013, a vehicle went out of control on the curve. It struck a sand box only a few feet from where the school crossing guard was positioned. A sign post was also struck and damaged as shown in the two photos below.

This photo, taken on November 27, 2013, shows the damaged sandbox that was struck by an out-of-control vehicle at the curve of Brydges/Wavell at Spruce Street. It was fortunate that a school crossing guard was not struck, nor any students.
This view taken on November 27, 2013 shows a sign post that was knocked over just west of the curve of Brydges at Spruce Street.

It is unknown whether city officials were paying attention to these collisions. However Speed Display Boards (SDBs) were installed on the road segment in the spring of 2011 and also in the spring of 2020. The photo below shows the SDB installed in April of 2020.

This is a view looking east along Brydges Street toward the bridge at Pottersburg Creek on April 18, 2020. The City of London installed a Speed Display Board that can be seen in the upper right of this view. This condition existed before major construction of the cycling lane was commenced in the fall of 2021,

It is not clear whether City officials gained any guidance from the SDB data. However, in September of 2021 Brydges/Wavell began to see construction taking place as a new cycling lane was being installed.

A disaster was averted early in the construction process when work crews removed the centre-line marking of Brydges east of Hale Street, as shown in the photo below from September 12, 2021. While the new centre-line was painted the old centre-line was not completely removed so many drivers attempted to follow the guidance of the original centre-line, thus placing their vehicles on the wrong side of the road.

View, looking west along Brydges Street toward Hale Street in the background. Road construction crews painted a new centre-line while not fully removing the visibility of the old one. Many drivers became confused and continued to drive next to the old centre-line and thus put themselves travelling on the wrong side of the road.
In this example we see one of many westbound vehicles whose drivers believed they were travelling on the correct side of the road because the old centre-line on Brydges Street was not completely removed from their view. Fortunately Gorski Consulting observed what was happening and contacted police so corrections could be made before a collision occurred.

The construction of the new cycling lane was done piecemeal. Some segments were completed while other portions of Brydges/Wavell remained untouched. The progress of the construction can be seen from the several photos shown below, taken April 3, 2022.

This view of Wavell Street was taken on April 3, 2022. It is looking westward from just west of the intersection with Clarke Road. As can be seen, no evidence of any cycling lane is visible. Portions of the new cycling lane are located well to the west of this location.
This view , from April 3, 2022, is along Wavell Street near the intersection of Merlin Crescent. As can be seen many of the previously-existing road markings have been removed yet their shadows are still visible. Since there are no other markings on the road drivers had to think wisely as to how and where they should travel. The beginning of the new cycling lane can be seen in the background.
This view of Wavell Street is looking westward on April 3, 2022. It is just east of Winnipeg Boulevard. As can be seen the new cycling lane exists on both sides of Wavell however there is a termination of the curb blocks which define it as a protected lane. In the background the white painted lines suggest that the curb blocks will likely continue sometime in the future. The curve at Spruce Street is in the distant background but not yet visible.
This is a westward view, on April 3, 2022, along Brydges/Wavell Street at its intersection with Spruce Street. Note there is no evidence of a new cycling lane but the roadway markings have been removed. A driver would have to pay close attention to their lateral position within the curve because of this lack of markings. Yet the shadows of those markings still exist. Not all drivers would interpret these markings in the same way leading to potential dangers.
This is a westward view along Brydges Street looking toward the curve at Cornish Street. This photo was taken on April 3, 2022. Again, there is no evidence of the new cycling lane yet the roadway markings have been removed.
This view, taken on April 3, 2022, is looking westward along Brydges Street from the curve at the intersection of Cornish Street. The intersection with Hale Street is in the background. There is no evidence of the new cycling lane however the north curb and sidewalk have been moved to the north thus providing the additional width to the road for the future cycling lane.

Protected Cycling Lane Corrections At Cornish Curve

By August of 2022 the cycling lane along Brydges/Wavell Streets was substantially developed. At the Cornish Street curve curb blocks were installed on both sides of the curve. However there was evidence that the curb blocks were being struck, as shown in the following photo.

In this photo taken on August 5, 2022 the new curb blocks have been installed along the north side of the westbound lane of Brydges. However one of the blocks is out of alignment and this indicates that it was struck by a westbound vehicle. This is not surprising as the lane was narrowed to create the cycling lane and drivers were having difficulty adjusting to the narrowed lane at the precise location where the lane contained a curve.

The next photo, taken on August 11, 2022 shows a view looking eastward at the Cornish curve and the newly installed curb blocks are seen on both sides of Brydges Street.

This view, taken on August 11, 2022, shows an eastward view at the Cornish Street curve where the curb blocks have been newly installed. Note how the blocks are well into the curve. Later these curb blocks were removed by the City of London.

Evidence that the curb blocks were being struck by passing vehicles can be seen in the next photo where several of the curb blocks at the curve were removed and placed along the north curb. It is believed that this was because the blocks were being struck in the narrowed lane where drivers were having difficulty staying within the lane at the curve.

In this view taken on August 22, 2022, the curb blocks on the north side of the westbound lane have been removed from their original position along the edge of the cycling lane and are now positioned along the north curb.

Removal of the curb blocks also occurred on the south side of Brydges Street, as shown in the photos below.

In this photo taken on August 29, 2022 it can be seen that the curb blocks that were originally placed on the south side of Brydges close to intersection with Cornish Street have now been removed.
In this view taken on August 29, 2022 it can be seen that the curb blocks that were originally placed closer to the intersection with Cornish Street have now been removed.

Subsequently, by March, 2024 the curb blocks on the south side of Brydges were reduced further as shown in the photo below.

This photo taken on March 8, 2024 shows that the curb blocks on the south side of Brydges Street were removed even further away from the Cornish Street intersection. Thus eastbound vehicles travelling around the curve at Cornish Street could wander into the eastbound cycling lane without any protection to cyclists.

The removal of the curb blocks at the Cornish Street curve are a demonstration of the difficulties that drivers experienced in keeping their vehicles within the confines of the lane while travelling around the curve. While removal of the curb blocks prevented them being struck it did not solve the problem, and danger, that continued to exist at the curve. Cyclists believed they were safe while travelling in this “protected” lane but it was not explained to them that motor vehicles travelling around the curve were in jeopardy of travelling outside of their lane and possibly into the cycling lane at the precise location where the curb blocks were removed. Thus the cycling lane became unprotected precisely where that protection was needed the most. This is not a situation that is unique to this roadway and curve but it exists, in differing ways, wherever there is a horizontal curve along with a cycling lane. However this issue has not been publicly discussed.

Not all protected cycling lanes are the same nor do they provide an equal level of protection for cyclists. While the curb blocks existing along the cycling lane of Brydges/Wavell Streets provide some protection it is only limited. A motor vehicle travelling around a curve like the one at Cornish Street will not be redirected by the curb block in any large degree because those blocks are too low and of minimal mass. There are different protections provided in other jurisdictions such as the example shown in the next photo taken on Lakeshore Boulevard near the western edge of Toronto, Ontario.

This view, taken in August of 2019, is of a bi-directional cycling lane along the south side of Lakeshore Boulevard near the western edge of Toronto, Ontario. The much larger and taller concrete barrier shown here is capable of redirecting many smaller motor vehicles and even larger trucks and buses especially when those vehicles are travelling along a straight roadway where the angle of contact is small.
This view from December 23, 2023 shows that, when gaps are left between the curb blocks in a cycling lane delivery vehicles will use them for parking, This location of Wavell Street is just West of Edmonton Street.

Cycle Counts – City of London Data

The City of London has installed a number of cycle counters primarily within cycling lanes. An example of such a counter is shown below.

An example of a bicycle counter imbedded in the pavement of the cycling lane of Cheapside Street just east of Highbury Ave in London

Data from some of these counters is displayed on the City of London website. Data for the year 2024 for the Brydges-Wavell site is shown below with a comparison to six other counter sites.

As shown above the “Wavell” site has counted the lowest number of cyclists. The word “combined” is not explained on the City’s website although it has been observed that two cycle counters have previously existed on the Brydges-Wavell site while the graphic on the website only shows a single counter. Never-the-less the general consensus is that the Brydges-Wavell site contains relatively low usage by cyclists. City data indicates that motor vehicle traffic volume along Brydges-Wavell Streets in approximately 10,000 vehicles per day, or 3.65 million vehicles per year. If the Brydges-Wavell site contains 27,732 cycle observations per year then the percentage of cyclists versus motor vehicles would be about 0.76%. This percentage is below the officially reported numbers for the cyclist mode of transportation in London which is about 1.0%. While this difference would not appear to be significant it is. Typically cyclist volumes are higher on roadways containing a cycling lane than roadways where no cycling lanes exist. So we should expect a cycling usage which is higher than average at the Brydges-Wavell site, not lower.

Summary

In the latest Mobility Master Plan the City of London claims that the current transportation modes of walking, cycling and mass transit are about 23%. It boasts that it will increase these modes of transportation to about 32% in about 25 years, as shown in the graphic taken from the Plan.

The City has not provided any breakdown for the “current time” with respect to walking, cycling and mass transit. Nor has it provided any explanation for how any of the reported summaries were determined. While the City has created a number of cycling facilities it has not explained how it will increase the cycling mode along cycling lanes such as Brydges-Wavell. Presumably the Hollywood belief of “if you built it they will come” is closest to any scientific approach that exists.

Meanwhile Ontario’s Ford government has taken a hatchet to the cycling mode by forcing the removal of certain cycling lanes along major arterial roadways in Toronto. Ford claims that these cycling lanes are responsible for the traffic congestion in Toronto. Ford has also introduced legislation that will take decision-making away from municipalities as to when/where cycling lanes will be built to replace lanes used by motor vehicle traffic. He demonstrates that removal of cycling lanes will cause potential risks to cyclist safety and therefore he has also introduced legislation to prevent cyclists and their families from suing the Provincial government where the courts might determine that the Province was negligent in removing those cycling lanes.

These threats are particularly important to sites such as Hamilton Road in London where city staff and local politicians have shared the belief that motor vehicle traffic lanes should be removed from this arterial roadway to install cycling lanes. If the Province vetoes the local decision to install cycling lanes the plans for improving cyclist safety on Hamilton Road will become stagnant as no other options have been publicly aired.

The abandonment of cycling as a realistic alternative was exemplified in London, Ontario on December 3, 2024 when a large snowfall caused various plowing implements to hit the roadways to clear them. In the midst of this clearing a sidewalk plow was observed on Brydges-Wavell Street, as shown in the photo below. The sidewalk plow had been busy plowing the sidewalks of various side streets. As shown in the photo the sidewalk plow was then observed travelling westbound in the “cleared” westbound traffic lane of Wavell Street. Yet the cycling lane next to it was fully loaded with snow – not a single passage was made by a plow along the cycling lane to clear it for cyclist use.

This photo, taken on December 3, 2024, shows a sidewalk snowplow travelling west in the cleared travel lane of Wavell Street while the cycling lane to the right is filled with snow. There is official propaganda about what is being done to promote cycling and then there is the observable reality seen in this photo.

The “chicken versus egg” argument is reiterated: “Well we don’t plow the cycling lane because no one uses it” and the cyclist alternative: “We will never use the cycling lane because you never plow it”.

The observable reality is demonstrated at the Brydges-Wavell site. This article has demonstrated that, over the years, many safety problems on this roadway have been misunderstood or simply ignored. Insufficient or poor maintenance has been at the top of the list and unaccountability for certain dangerous road construction practices has endangered the public. Yet certain design dangers have also never been revealed to the public. No individual or organization with any official standing has ever explained the special dangers that exist whenever a cycling lane exists next to a lane for motor vehicle travel and that roadway contains a curve. As seen at the Brydges-Wavell site the “protected” cycling lane has been altered at its curves so that the protection has been removed. And this removal exists precisely where cyclists need the protection the most. While the dangers at the Brydges-Wavell site are not monumental they represent what exists, realistically, along many roadways in London and the Province of Ontario. Not all protected cycling lanes are the same, and they do not provide protection along all lengths of a road segment. Cyclists are not informed of this. Cyclists continue to believe there is no difference in their protection because there is no information to inform them otherwise. And official agencies that ought to be informing cyclists about matters important to their safety simply do not do so because they have no obligation to do so.

Cycling Dangers on Hamilton Road in London Ontario

by | Dec 2, 2024 |

This view is looking eastward on Hamilton Road in London Ontario on November 28, 2024. A garbage recycling truck has stopped to pick-up materials on the sidewalk, an eastbound pick-up truck is equipped with wide mirrors, and a tractor-trailer in westbound. How could a cyclist ride safely in this environment? It is a question that needs discussion.

Background

The Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, has caused legislation to be introduced that will prevent cycling lanes from being created on urban arterial roads in the province. He also has threatened to remove cycling lanes that have already been installed. And he has introduced legislation that will prevent cyclists and their families from suing his government for any negligence that the courts might apply to his actions. In this milieu laws exist that prevent cyclists from riding on sidewalks and nothing is said about the dangers that might exist to cyclists on certain roads where there is no room on a roadway designed from motor vehicle traffic to accommodate a cyclist. Furthermore, whatever collisions occur, that cause cyclist injuries and deaths, are only reported in general terms, with no information about what factors caused them and what could be done to avoid them. This is the realm within which cycling is promoted as a means of reducing our use of fossil fuels and preventing global warming.

Hamilton Road Characteristics

Hamilton Road in London, Ontario is an example of many similar roadways in the Province of Ontario where cycling represents a danger and where no solution is forthcoming. Being an urban, arterial roadway Hamilton Road is a target for the Ford government’s attacks on urban cycling lanes. Yet, if cycling is expected to increase in the near future, a solution is needed to deal with the safety problems for cyclists on this roadway.

This Googlemaps view of Hamilton Road in London, Ontario show the relevant distance of about 4.5 kilometres from Maitland Street near downtown, to Gore Road in the south-east of the City.

While the numbers of tragedies are not large, three fatal cyclist collisions have occurred on Hamilton Road in London, Ontario since the year 2019. How and why these collisions occurred has never been revealed. The result is that cyclists continue to ride on this roadway without critical information that could save them from death.

Recent Studies on Hamilton Road

After the most recent fatality on June 19, 2024 two articles were posted on the Gorski Consulting website. In an article posted on June 21,2024 entitled “Hamilton Road Fatal Cyclist Collision – Characteristics of Cyclist Road Users” a number of photos were presented showing the characteristics cyclists riding on Hamilton Road.

A male cyclist is shown in October, 2024, riding westbound on Hamilton Road is not wearing a helmet while looking backwards to evaluate motor vehicle traffic behind him. With no room for a cycle in the curb lane this represents a constant danger.

On June 19, 204 an article was posted on the site entitled “Cyclist Collision on Hamilton Road in London Ontario – Safety Concerns Continue”. This article posted a table of the most recent observations of cyclists riding through Hamilton Road between 2021 and up to February 2023. Only 65 observations were available and that table is reproduced below.

The number of observations in the above table is very small yet some concerns were made obvious in the Summary. Only about 8.5% of observed cyclists were females. Often small percentages of female riders are an indication of a dangerous roadway. Just over 86% of observed cyclist were not wearing a helmet. This is lack of helmet use is greater than in other parts of the city. And 80% of the cyclists were not riding within the travel lanes of the road. If this study contained more observations there would be reason for concern, however one needs to be cautious when reporting on such low numbers of results.

Subsequent to the above Gorski Consulting has continued to make observations of cyclists on Hamilton Road and this has led to an updated table with a larger number of observations, as shown below. This data contains observations up to the end of November, 2024.

The number of observations in the above table is still small yet some concerns are visible in the Summary. Only about 12.8% of observed cyclists were females. This is similar to the percentages of female cyclists observed in other parts of the city. Just over 75% of observed cyclists were not wearing a helmet. This lack of helmet use is greater than in other parts of the city. And just over 72% of the cyclists were not riding within the travel lanes of the road, this is just slightly higher than what has been observed in other parts of the city. With the addition of these new observations the results have regressed toward the mean, as expected. Yet concerns are evident. Although more than 72% of cyclists were not riding on the roadway, there is information to suggest that the three fatally injured cyclists were stuck while within the travel lanes of Hamilton Road. Put another way, there were no fatalities of cyclists who were riding on the sidewalk even though almost three quarters of cyclists were observed on the sidewalk.

A cyclist is seen riding on the sidewalk of Hamilton Road as construction causes dangers for travelling in a lane designed for motor vehicle traffic. Yet, at this intersection, the cyclist must deal with dangers where motor vehicle drivers may see, or expect to see, a cyclist travelling “the wrong way”.

Discussion

Cycling groups have erected white “ghost bikes” at each of the three fatal cyclist collision sites on Hamilton Road. But beyond this cyclists have not publicly expressed their recognition that information about how and why these collisions occurred ought to be gathered and shared with the public, and especially cyclists.

This “ghost bike”, shown in a photo from September, 2022, still remains at the site of a fatal cyclist collision that occurred in June of 2019. While this reminder is admirable a better action would be to also commence actions to document the causes of such collisions and to make those causes known to the public and especially to cyclists.

Although the numbers of cyclist observations discussed in this article is small there is no other source of public information that provides objective data on the status of the cyclist safety problem on Hamilton Road. Up to now the articles posted on the Gorski Consulting website have had few reviews. Recent discussions in London suggest that the City of London has opted to conduct another construction project whereby lanes for motor vehicle traffic will be replaced by cycling lanes. This becomes problematic as, just recently, the Province of Ontario will require their permission to remove such motor vehicle lanes on arterial roads and that permission may not be granted by the Province. So how can improvements be made to protect cyclists?

Gorski Consulting is of the opinion that these developments need discussion. What is needed is a gathering of minds. Up to now there has been no gathering of individuals into an effective group who have cyclist safety as their top, and only, commitment.

Continued Lack Of Information About Cyclist Injuries And Deaths Continues to Confuse The Public

by | Nov 26, 2024 |

How important are cycling lanes for the safety of cyclists and what other factors may also pose dangers to them? Opinions about such matters are often publicly expressed but, in reality, few are able to analyse any objective data to support those opinions.

The Premier of the Province of Ontario, Doug Ford, caused a controversy recently when he announced that he would stop installations of cycling lanes on roads he deemed inappropriate and, even more, he would remove certain existing cycling lanes that were causing traffic congestion. These announcements raised the ire of many cyclists who conducted demonstrations and asked that petitions be signed to oppose Ford’s intensions.

Ford’s announcements are contrary to educated understanding that climate change is a threat to human existence. With the burning of fossil fuels humans are creating an atmosphere that will cause great hardship toward our existence. That understanding is the core reason why our society must change our habits from driving individual, gasoline-powered vehicles to using electric vehicles, mass transit, walking and riding bicycles. Ford demonstrates a cave-man mentality that does not appreciate this basic reality. In fact it is likely that Ford saw an opportunity to gain votes by recognizing that many drivers felt inconvenienced by the reality that they must change. By expanding the wedge between cyclists and motor vehicle drivers he could gain the political support of an important segment of Ontario’s population.

It has been announced that Ford’s government has now introduced legislation that would prevent cyclists or their families from suing the province for the injuries and deaths caused by the removal of bike lanes. This is essentially removing the courts’ ability to conduct an impartial assessment whether the government’s negligence has led to those injuries and deaths.

While Ford’s actions are raising alarms there is a continued lack of information about cyclist injuries and deaths that remains, unexplainably, beneath the public’s radar. No one, not even cyclists or cyclist groups, has raised a concern that no public information is being provided about how and why cyclist injuries and fatalities are occurring.

A webinar authored by Dr. Alison Macpherson in March of 2024 showed a disturbing reality about cyclist injuries in the Toronto area. Her data was gathered from emergency departments (ED) in Toronto between 2016 and 2021. As shown in the graphic below, copied from her presentation, there were 30,101 visits by cyclists to EDs and only 13% of these were related to incidents with motor vehicles. The remainder of 26,083, or 87% were related to “something else”, but no public information exists about what that “something else” is. Hospital personnel and other closed agencies, including the Ontario provincial government could easily obtain those details, and they likely have. But none of that has reached the public.

Recent research from Toronto hospital emergency departments reveals that 87% of cyclist visits are not related to motor vehicle incidents, but no information exists to explain how and why these cyclist injuries occurred.

A further concern shown in the above graphic is that, although there were 30,101 ED visits police reported only 2,362 of those. So less than 8% of those cyclist incidents were captured in police data. Even when police are involved it is simple to see from looking at official new media articles that essentially nothing of informative or educational value is passed on to the public about those incidents.

As case in point is a recent article posted on the CTV Kitchener website entitled “Waterloo reviews most collision-prove areas to improve safety”. Data was presented from a report developed by the City of Waterloo on various areas road safety within their jurisdiction. With respect to cyclist collisions the CTV article quoted Waterloo’s data that, in the past five years, there was a total of 53 cyclist collisions in their jurisdiction. From this data they developed the 10 most collision-prone roadways involving cyclists as noted below.

Top 10 Cyclist Collision Locations

  1.  Phillip Street between University Avenue West and Columbia Street – 2-Lane Road
  2.  Allen Street West at Park Street – All-way Stop Control
  3.  Albert Street at Hazel Street – 4-Legged Signalized
  4.  Bathurst Drive at McMurray Road – 4 Legged Signalized
  5.  Columbia Street at Hazel Street – 4-Legged Signalized
  6.  Albert Street between Columbia Street West and Cardill Crescent – 2-lane Road with On-street cycling lanes
  7.  Columbia Street West at Phillip Street – 4-leg Signalized
  8.  Laurelwood Drive at Old Oak Place – Two-Way Stop Control
  9.  Keats Way at Amos Avenue – Two-Way Stop Control
  10.  Columbia Street West at Beechlawn Drive – Two-Way Stop Control

Since there were only 53 reported cyclist collisions it would be difficult to imagine that reporting them in such fine detail would be useful, or even valid. Given the small number of total observations it is very likely that the Phillip Street location contained a small number of collisions, but the actual number was never revealed in the CTV news article. However, given the Hospital Emergency Department research by Dr. Macpherson (reported above) the Waterloo data likely does not include over 92% of cyclist injury incidents that may have actually occurred. So how useful is such reported data?

Despite this critical lack of data the CTV news article reported that the City of Waterloo had developed conclusions and recommendations from their study:

“Phillip Street between University Avenue West and Columbia Street West was identified as the top location for collisions involving cyclists, due to distracted driving while turning, cyclists on the wrong side of the road and cyclists losing control. Staff recommend additional signage, installing high visibility pavement markings, instituting a 40 km/h speed limit and reviewing the lighting in the area.“

This illustrates how many officials are not addressing the fact that they are developing policy based on insufficient data. They are also confusing the public, and cyclists, about what is important in their transportation safety.

For an unexplainable reason the public, and cyclists specifically, are not recognizing that they do not have the critical data to understand how cyclists are being injured and killed. And they are not making any effort to demand that the data be collected and made publicly available. The impact of the removal of cycling lanes by Ontario’s Ford government cannot be properly assessed while basic and essential data remains a secret revealed only to the Ford administration.

The Passing of Dr. Robert Nelson Green

by | Nov 19, 2024 |

Regrettably I have no photos available showing Dr. Green during his many years of association with the UWO Accident Research Team. This photo, taken in 1989, shows the team composition including from left to right: Dr. Alan German, Dr. Robert Nowak, Maridon Duncanson, Paul Tiessen and myself.

It is with some sadness that I learned of the passing of Dr. Robert Nelson Green. Dr. Green was the medical consultant for the University of Western Ontario Multi-Disciplinary Accident Research Team during the 10 years that I was involved with that team between 1980 and 1990. I recall him fondly as a man of great energy. While team members would be dully working on their filings, analysis of photos, computer entry, etc. every so often Dr. Green would pop into the office and things would light up. While he mostly seemed to be in hurry he was also willing to stop and enter into deeper discussions about philosophical issues of injury causation, seat-belt effectiveness, roadway barrier matters and so many other related things. He was the one who introduced me to forensic work outside of the research carried out by the team. Some official data about him is attached below.

Dr. Robert Nelson Green, 92, beloved husband of Helen Patricia Green, died peacefully at Southlake Hospital, Newmarket on Friday, November 15, 2024. He is survived by his daughters Nancy Green, Elizabeth Olcott and husband Peter, and son James Green and wife Letty, and four grandchildren, Signe and Robert Damron, Helen and Charles Olcott. He was predeceased by his wife Helen, parents Rollit and Signe Green, brother Van Green and sister Nancy Green.

Bob Green was born in Fort Frances, ON on June 4, 1932. Growing up in Fort Frances, he completed secondary school and pursued university studies, graduating MDCM from McGill University in 1958. He and Helen were married that year during internship at the Winnipeg General Hospital. After two years of family practice in Atikokan, ON, Bob supported his young family through seven years of postgraduate training, culminating in a career of academic medicine as a teaching professional at Queens University, Kingston, and the University of Western Ontario, London. With a life-long interest in forensic sciences, Dr. Green served as a provincial coroner, along with his teaching at the medical and law schools of UWO with a brief time out to complete a law degree and MA in legal philosophy. Retiring from the University of Western Ontario as professor emeritus in 1990. He started his company, Accident Reconstruction Association, consulting as an expert forensic analyst and court witness. Professor Green continued his research in the forensic and road traffic safety areas, instructing police, coroners, lawyers and engineers.

Bob and Helen enjoyed many summer vacations at their cottage on Nowhere Island, Rainy Lake, and spent a few years in Fort Frances at their lakeside home.

We all have a life to live and for some that is more acknowledged than for others. Regardless, we need to appreciate that the greatest attribute of our lives is that others look upon our memory with fondness, regardless of what official titles and important positions we may have held. While Dr. Green was officially successful, more importantly to me is that I remember him with fondness.


Review Of Safe And Unsafe Cycling Facilities In London Ontario Canada

by | Nov 14, 2024 |

Many painted cycling lanes are safe, but some are not. Some deceptive features that look like cycling lanes are not cycling lanes. Politicians and road-function administrators who confuse cyclists into believing they are safe under dangerous conditions pose a special problem.

Detailed studies by Gorski Consulting have demonstrated that some painted cycling lanes, in appropriate locations, can be relatively safe. Those locations involve relatively wide lanes for both motor vehicles and cyclists, with good surface conditions, and minimal vertical or horizontal alignments. But it is those alignments that are a crucial issue.

For decades collision reconstructionists have recognized that roadways with hills/valleys or horizontal curves (i.e. alignments) pose a greater challenge for motor vehicle drivers but also for cyclists. This is not that difficult to understand. When such alignments do not exist motor vehicle drivers do not need to apply steering inputs nor do they need to change the pressure on an accelerator pedal or apply braking. Thus maintaining a proper centre location within a travel lane is easy to do. And similar simplifications exist for cyclists. But that becomes more complicated when vertical or horizontal alignments exist. Not only must motor vehicle drivers apply steering but sometimes they also need to adjust their speed by either braking or accelerating. This relatively undiscussed matter keeps many vulnerable persons in danger of being involved in a collision. This lack of knowledge becomes even more important to cyclists and those motor vehicle drivers who encounter cyclists where those alignments exist.

Past Research Showing Good Results

Gorski Consulting conducted testing at a reasonably safe, painted, cycling lane created on Colborne Street near St James Street in London, Ontario in the summer of 2022. The details of the study as well as its results were posted on this Gorski Consulting website throughout the spring, summer and fall of 2022. The testing site on Colborne Street contained good characteristics: it was flat, both vertically and horizontally, and it surface was in reasonably good condition. A challenging circumstance is that it was along a travel path of the City’s transit buses and this made it more difficult to separate cyclists from buses. Testing was conducted before the new cycling lane was painted as well as after it was finished. The lateral positions of cycles and motor vehicles were documented with respect to the junction between the asphalt lane and the concrete gutter, as shown in the example below.

View of two northbound cyclists riding through the newly-painted cycling lane on Colborne St in London on August 29, 2022. Orange dots painted on the surface enabled researchers to see the lateral positions of cyclists and motor vehicles as they passed at 5-metre intervals for a distance of 50 metres. The junction line between the concrete gutter and the asphalt edge was used as the “zero” reference point for the lateral locations.

Laterally, the orange dots were painted 20 centimetres apart. Viewing the video of these traffic units as they passed the markers enabled the documentation of their lateral position.

For motor vehicles the outboard edge of the right front tire of the vehicle was used to reference a vehicle’s lateral position, As shown below.

In this example of London City transit bus is shown travelling northbound through the set of markers on Colborne Street. The bus lateral position was noted by the position of the outboard surface of its right front tire with respect to the junction line between the concrete gutter and the asphalt edge.

The cycling lane width, from the gutter edge to the centre of the white, painted line was 1.5 metres.

The results from four, 2-hour, video sessions are summarized in the table below.

As can be seen in the above table the painting of the white line, and thus the establishment of the designated cycling lane, caused a greater separation between the cyclists and motor vehicle traffic. Before the cycling lane was established the data shows that the average lateral position of cyclists was 0.71 metres but the standard deviation was high, meaning that some cyclists were not riding close enough to the right curb. After the cycling lane was created the average lateral position of cyclists was 0.58 metres thus cyclists moved slightly closer to the curb but also the standard deviation was reduced so cyclists were not wandering into the travel lane as much as before.

For the motor vehicle data it can be seen that, before the creation of the cycling lane, these vehicles were travelling too close to the curb (1.08, 0.87, 1.08) such that, if a cyclist was present, an impact could have occurred. After the cycling lane was created the lateral position of motor vehicles was moved substantially away from the curb (3.00, 1.57, 2.11) and away from any cyclists. Also the standard deviation of the large motor vehicles was substantially reduced. The exception was for “Light Duty Vehicles” as their standard deviation was increased.

Other investigations from this study also examined the speeds of motor vehicles and cyclists during a passing motion and the location and extent of change-in-lane-position of motor vehicles as they encountered cyclists.

Overall the effects of the installation of the painted cycling lane on Colborne Street were generally positive.

Past Observations Showing Dangerous Results

Police, news media and government officials have successfully kept the public, and particularly cyclists, in the dark about causal factors that endanger their safety. A significant segment of the cycling community has no idea how and why their members are being injured and killed. Some experienced riders claim that they know what matters even though they have not examined the details of a single significant cyclist collision. Others refer to international statistics and studies claiming that these provide the answers cyclists need. But many international studies are dependent on police reports, many of questionable quality because the police investigators are not experts in what they are documenting. In other instances the applicability of international studies is rarely questioned whether or not differences in the cycling patterns and cyclist characteristics vary from the Canadian experience. The best research approach is to study Canadian data developed from observations of Canadian cyclists, their collisions, or their incidents that luckily avoid a collision. But that data is not publicly available.

Painted cycling lanes are an example of how broad generalizations are made. In the cycling community painted cycling lanes are broadly condemned in preference to “protected” lanes that have some form of physical barrier between the cycling lane and the lane used by motor vehicles. While there are benefits to such protected lanes they also allow for the presence of immovable, physical barriers close to cyclists and this is often an undiscussed danger. This problem has been analysed for decades when roadway improvements were made for the safety of motor vehicle drivers. Roadway design standards have existed for decades requiring that a “clear zone” be established along the sides of roads and highways from immovable objects such as utility poles, trees and buildings. The reasoning was quite simple: a vehicle that egresses from the confines of lane ought to have a reasonable width of clear landscape in which to slow down, reduce the severity of an impact with an immovable object, or to avoid the object altogether. Such physics does not change went a cyclist rides in a cycling lane.

While many motor vehicles riding on roads and highways have widths of 1.4 to 2.6 metres those lanes are also wider, often between 3.0 and 4.0 metres. Cycles tend to wander laterally, especially at lower speeds. This wandering and lower speed often occurs in novice riders who may be more prone to cycling mishaps. Yet the relationship between cycle widths and the accepted width of a cycling lane pose a challenge. As shown in the graphic below the Ontario government (Book 18, Traffic Manual) assumes that a typical bicycle is about 1.2 metres wide but cycling lanes are allowed to be just 1.5 metres wide. These assumptions allow for immovable objects to exist close to where a cyclist is riding.

Bicycle sizes assumed in the Ontario Traffic Manual – Book 18

Within most protected cycling lanes there is not much lateral clearance between a cycle and physical features such as a curb on the right or a traffic barrier on the left. Contact to such physical features can cause injury to the cyclist, or worse. The extent of such contacts and injuries is not publicly known.

Yet recent research reported by Dr. Alison Macpherson in Toronto shows that many more cyclist injuries occur from non-motor vehicle interactions. Data on Emergency Department (ED) visits by cyclists in a five-year period (2016 to 2021) in Toronto showed that 87% of ED visits did not involve a motor vehicle and for the small segment of cyclists who were hospitalized 81% did not involve a motor vehicle. Unfortunately the research did provide further details about what was the cause of those cyclist ED visits. Much of the problem is that, when a cyclist incident does not involve a motor vehicle, police are not required to fill out a collision report and so those incidents are not officially recorded in Ontario statistics.

But this does not mean that cyclist interactions with motor vehicles are not important. Cyclists continue to be entrapped by roadway features that, deceptively, do not warn cyclists of their danger. While many painted cycling lanes are reasonably safe, some are not. It would not be difficult for police, news media and politicians to identify where these dangers exist, but that is not done. The photo below is an example of a painted cycling lane where the road’s curvature poses an obvious problem to cyclists. Vehicles cross into the cycling lane on a regular basis because of the sharpness in the change-in-direction of the road occurring within a very short distance.

This photo was taken on May 7, 2023, looking east along Trafalgar Road just east of Egerton Street in London, Ontario. Because of the sudden change-in-direction of this eastbound lane vehicles continually cross into the painted cycling lane. This is an example of a dangerous condition that is easily detected by those responsible for the road design. Yet the danger would not necessarily be detected by cyclists, especially those who may not be familiar with this area of the road.

The internet is full of postings where cyclists post observations where a motor vehicle has crossed into a cycling lane or where some driver has parked their vehicle in the lane. Many of these instances are just random, not necessarily related to the features of the road. But instances such as the one shown above occur on a constant basis at this site because of the geometry of the road and that makes the danger more important.

In other instances painted cycling lanes are simply terminated whenever their dimensions cannot fit within some narrowing of a road. In such cases chevrons and bicycle symbols are painted within the narrowed travel lane indicating to cyclists that it is safe to continue because the law will protect them from being struck. An example of this condition is shown in the photo below on Pond Mills Road just north of Southdale Road in south-east London.

This is a view looking northward, on February 1, 2024, along the curves of Pond Mills Road just north of Southdale Road in London, Ontario. The road allowance in this area is narrowed due to the presence of several natural ponds. In the background a cycling lane was terminated leaving a narrowed width of asphalt that has the appearance of a cycling lane but is too narrow. The official cycling lane re-appears again just south of this location. Painted cycling symbols are supposed to indicate that this is a shared lane between cyclists and motor vehicles, but that is not apparent to every cyclist using this road.

While those responsible for the roadway markings in the above photo know precisely what the symbols mean, not everyone is so fluent. Cyclists who may be young or inexperienced can legally ride along roads like these but they may not understand the specific meaning of these markings, nor may they understand the danger of riding in this narrowed stretch of road accompanied by substantial motor vehicle traffic. Even experienced cyclists do no appreciate that a law which says “motorists must give a 1-metre clearance when passing a cyclist” will not save them from the laws of physics. Curves shown in the above photo mean that both motor vehicle drivers and cyclists will need to adjust their inputs to stay within a consistent lateral portion of their lane. Those inputs are not performed with “racing-car-driver-skills” and, inevitable, the lateral position of a motor vehicle or cyclist changes. This becomes exceptionally dangerous to the cyclist. The photo below is an example of numerous motor vehicles than encroach across the white-painted line of this curve. In our view, there is a reason why there are headstones of a cemetery located in the background of this photo.

When curves exist where cyclists might travel bad things can happen. In this photo the approaching driver has ridden over the white painted line of the curve at Pond Mills Road. This action is not exceptional, it is common at this curve. Any cyclist who dares to ride in this lane becomes in danger of being struck from behind.

This crossing over the painted white line by motor vehicles is not uncommon because of the curvature of the road. To emphasize this point we can see the following additional photos showing a number of vehicles performing the same action.

Observation from April 12, 2024.
Observation from February 6, 2024.
Observation from February 15, 2024.
Observation from June 3, 2024.
Observation from June 13, 2024
Observation from March 26, 2024.
Observation from May 3, 2024.
Observation from May 24, 2024.
Observation from May 27, 2024.
Observation from May 29, 2024.
Observation from October 17, 2024.
Observation from September 10, 2024.
Observation from May 15, 2024.

The final photo above shows a pick-up truck travelling behind a car, both of which have encroached over the white edge line of the lane. The pick-up truck is of particular importance because such vehicles pose a special problem to cyclists. While passenger car widths may be as much as 1.8 metres, the width of full-size pick-up trucks is often just over 2.0 metres. In addition many pick-up trucks are equipped with extended or towing mirrors, similar to the two photos shown below.

View of an extended mirror on a new GMC Pick-up truck.
View showing that the mirror can easily extend 35 centimetres beyond the normal width of a pick-up truck.

As can be seen above, when an extended mirror is at least 35 centimetres beyond the width of a 2-metre-wide pick-up truck the truck’s total width becomes about 2.7 metres or slightly wider than a typical tractor-trailer. Meanwhile an earlier graphic of typical cyclist measurements showed that the eye-height of a cyclist would be in the range of 1.5 metres above the ground. This would be similar in height to where many mirrors from pick-up trucks would be located. The bottom line is that cyclists are at increased danger of head injury when passed by pick-up trucks with extended mirrors. This is a danger that is not discussed. On roadways such as the curves on Pond Mills Road the presence of a pick-up truck along with a cyclist would pose a real danger. Fortunately the number of cyclists riding in the curves of Pond Mills Road is small, but not non-existent as demonstrated by the observation below.

It is true that the volume of cyclists riding southbound in the southbound lane in the curves of Pond Mills Road is low, but as seen in this photo taken on February 13, 2024 such rare observations exist.

Discussion

An important aspect of cycling safety must include an identification of those local scenarios where cyclists may be at greater risk of injury, or worse. In London there are many examples of roadways that are dangerous to cyclists. In those, if cyclist must use such a roadway they ought to ride on a sidewalk, regardless of what laws prohibit it. Unfortunately there is little publicity to properly inform cyclists what roadways they should avoid. This makes minimal sense. Accompanied by this there is a lack of any meaningful information provided to the public, and especially cyclists, about the details of cyclist collisions that might help inform cyclists about what they should do to avoid being victims. And there seems to be little effort by all involved to change these regrettable circumstances.

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