The above photo was taken in August of 2025 on Dundas Street in east London Ontario as a cyclist decided he could carry a large box on the handlebars of his bicycle. Controlling the loose cargo means that his hands are not available for other purposes, like braking. While approaching a pedestrian crossing he is unable to brake for a pedestrian who thought she had the right-of-way, as shown below.
The only thing that saved him from striking the pedestrian is that he planted his right foot on the ground and used that as his brake.
Carrying cargo by bike is efficient in many circumstances but dangerous when it interferes with basic actions needed to control the bike. In many instances there is little or no attention paid to bike braking even when the bike is a genuine cargo bike. And the same point holds true for other vehicles such as e-bikes and e-scooters. The ability to apply braking is a fundamental and essential matter that must be considered before any vehicle, motorized or not, is allowed on a public roadway.
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