A cyclist injury collision reportedly occurred on Wharncliffe Road in London, Ontario in the early morning of December 1, 2023. The collision was investigated by London police but no information was provided other than the fact that Wharncliffe Road was closed.
The site was examined by a news reporter from CTV News in London and a photo of a bicycle was shown lying just off the road surface on the paved boulevard next to one of the lanes. Again nothing was reported about what was found or what damage occurred to the bicycle. And the photo cannot be reproduced on this Gorski Consulting website because it is copyright.
Despite this, the photo showed that the left handlebar of the bicycle was bent dramatically forward. Although both wheels could not be fully seen there did not appear to be any substantial damage to those wheels. While the documentation of the evidence was poor it never-the-less suggested that the left handlebar of the cycle was struck and bent forward. This was further evidenced by video taken by CTV News (not possible to be shown because of copyright) showing a narrow scrape to the right front fender of the impacting vehicle. The height of this scrape was consistent with the height of the bicycle handlebar.
The combination of this evidence is something that Gorski Consulting has mentioned previously as an injury mechanism that cyclists should be aware of. Yet many cyclists refuse to listen. Significant injuries do not have to occur from direct impacts to the rear of a bicycle. The end of the left handlebar can be struck and this produces a rapid rotation such that the upper body of the cyclist is pulled into making contact with the striking vehicle. This is the point that many cyclists do not understand and some refuse to understand for unexplainable reasons.
The present collision on Wharncliffe Road is likely an example of the injury mechanism that has been previously described. Unfortunately no one has made this known. Police have provided no guidance, or any information what-so-ever. News media have also not addressed any of the important safety issues that should have been addressed. And many cyclists and cyclists organizations also refuse to address the importance of cyclist safety.
Photos and video could be used to educate the cycling public. But that cannot occur. Photos and video from news media are copyright so they cannot be used except by the news media that produced them. Yet they will not use those photos or video, most likely because they do not understand what the evidence shows.
And police have also not posted any photos or video of the accident details. So nothing is learned. We simply move on to the next incident until someone sustains major injuries or fatal injuries. Even then police will not release any information that could educate both the drivers of motor vehicles and the riders of bicycles.
It should have been made clear that a cyclist should not have been riding along Wharncliffe Road in night-time conditions at this location. Clearly there was nothing available to protect the cyclist from being struck. The lanes in this area are narrow and it would only be of matter of time before someone would be struck in this scenario. Meanwhile police and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation continue their propaganda of fantasy where they force cyclists to ride in a traffic lane regardless of the features of that site. It is likely that the cyclist in the present case felt compelled to ride in the traffic lane because that is what the law requires. Yet, at 0500 hours in the morning, in darkness, it would have been Ludacris to follow the law and this cyclist should have been riding on the sidewalk where it was much safer.
So the process continues. Nothing will be learned. The next cyclist injury collision is just some unknown distance away in time. And, regrettably, someone will lose their life, for silly reasons.
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