Gorski Consulting Continues to Document Cyclists in London Ontario

by | Dec 10, 2023 | News

Cyclists can be seen riding throughout the City of London Ontario, either on sidewalks or within the lanes of dangerous roadways. Often no helmets are worn and the cyclists are attired in black clothing while riding in darkness. An example of this is shown below, observed on December 8, 2023 at Wellington and Southdale Roads in London.

With twilight approaching this cyclist is an example of a common observation. Travelling eastbound through the pedestrian crossing at Wellington and Southdale Roads the cyclist is wearing black clothing and he will soon become invisible to most motor vehicle drivers. Although he wears a hood to protect him from the cold he does not wear a helmet to protect him from an impact. A closer view of this rider is shown below.
Fortunately this rider has decided to ride on the sidewalk rather than in the eastbound lane of Southdale where, in twilight, he will soon be invisible to most motor vehicle drivers.

Dangerous scenarios continue to exist for cyclists often because they are oblivious to those dangers. Collision consequences can lead to death and that allows for a quick escape for authorities who might otherwise have to do something. But collisions can also lead to permanent injuries that can be life-altering, remaining with the affected person for the rest of their lives while also reminding those around them of the tragic effect of ignoring safety. Those consequences are not highlighted or even mentioned after many serious cyclist collisions. Official entities who claim to support cyclist safety are often to blame for doing the direct opposite.

For a number of years now Gorski Consulting has been involved in the documentation of cyclists riding on or next to the streets of London, Ontario. Many serious safety problems have been observed over the years. No one else appears to be conducting such documentation. The City of London performs some study of cyclists by counting their numbers as they pass over counters imbedded at various locations of cycling facilities. Yet there is no documentation of cyclists outside of these counters. Unfortunately the counters are blind to the characteristics of the cyclists and their actions. While some video cameras are positioned at intersections of the City of London, actions of cyclists outside of these areas are not monitored. And none of this data is ever made available to the average citizen, especially cyclists who could benefit from it. Only Gorski Consulting provides such data free of charge to whoever might be interested.

Gorski Consulting will soon be finished (in a couple of weeks) with the documentations of cyclists for the year 2023. Based on last year, we are able to capture about 1,000 cyclists per year and 2023 appears to be falling in line with those numbers. Unfortunately there was a one-month period between the latter part of June and the first part of July where these documentations could not be made. Through the years of 2021, 2022 and 2023 we will have documented in the neighbourhood of 2500 cyclists. This does not include the many observations made from specialized studies. Some of those specialized studies included the following:

Grosvenor at Gibbons Park (2022)

Dundas at Ontario Street (2021)

Gibbons Park at Vitoria Street (2021)

Thames Valley Parkway – 3 locations (2021)

Thames Valley Parkway at Trafalgar Street (2021)

Dundas at Colborne Street (2021, 2022, 2023)

Talbot at Ann Street (2022)

Colborne at St James (2022, 2023)

Blackfriars Bridge at Ridout (2022)

And many other studies have been made in the London area prior to the year 2021.

Much can be gained and learned from these studies and we endeavor, when time and expense permits, to summarize the results and post them on this Gorski Consulting website.