Hamilton Road Fatal Cyclist Collision – Characteristics of Cyclist Road Users

by | Jun 21, 2024 | News

According to official policy cyclists ought to walk their bicycles on sidewalks as shown in this photo at Hamilton and Rectory Streets in London, Ontario in November, 2021. The reality is much different. Rarely do cyclists walk, they ride on sidewalks. The scene in this view is rare. But the lack of helmet use is common. These are some of the findings from observations of cyclists performed by Gorski Consulting on Hamilton Road over the past several years.

Why has a third male cyclist been killed in a traffic accident on Hamilton Road in London, Ontario in the past five years? That is a question being raised by some citizens of London after a cyclist was killed on Hamilton Road on the morning of June 19, 2024, just west of the intersection with Rectory Street. Not unexpectedly, many opinions were provided on various social media sites by a variety of persons with varying degrees of understanding. What has been lacking in all this discussion is a recognition that informed opinion must be supported by good quality and quantity of objective data. But that data is essentially non-existent.

Data must come from police who investigate collisions along the roadway. But that is insufficient because few cyclist collisions are ever investigated, particularly if they do not involve an impact between a motor vehicle and a cyclist. Data must also come from observations in traffic studies but that too is missing as the City of London either does not collect the data or they keep it close to their chest without making it publicly available.

In light of such unlit darkness Gorski Consulting has been providing a variety of traffic studies in London and the results of these studies are described in articles posted on the Gorski Consulting website. The cyclist safety problems that exist on Hamilton Road cannot be a full-time occupation provided at no cost to the public. So there are limits to what can be achieved. Yet some data exists with respect to the characteristics of cyclists in the vicinity of the Hamilton Road and Rectory Street intersection. Gorski Consulting has gone back several years and selected a small sample of observations of cyclists and these will be reviewed here. First we will provide a general review of the intersection.

Hamilton Road Site Characteristics

The Googlemaps view of Hamilton Road in London is shown below. The section of interest is about 4.4 km stretching from Maitland Street to the west and Gore Road to the east. Hamilton Road travels in a south-east direction and is a busy arterial roadway.

This Googlemaps view of Hamilton Road in London, Ontario shows the relevant distance of about 4.5 kilometres from Maitland St to Gore Road. The Rectory Street intersection located in the western portion of this segment between the Adelaide Street and Trafalgar Street arterial roadways.

In the vicinity of Rectory Street the City of London has created left turn lanes that cause a narrowing of the four lanes of Hamilton Road. The two lanes travelling westbound have a width of about 6.0 metres and a similar width is present for both eastbound lanes. Typically a lane width on an arterial roadway is 3.5 metres or more or over 7.0 metres for two lanes. This narrowing of lanes makes it a challenging area for cyclist travel because Hamilton Road also contains a horizontal curve at this location. A westward view of this intersection is shown in the photo below, taken in May of 2024.

This westward view along Hamilton Road shows its curvature at a point when the two westbound lanes are also narrowed to just 6.0 metres because left-turn lanes have been installed. This makes it challenging for cyclists to pass safely through the site when traffic volume is high and motor vehicle drivers need to negotiate the curve while keeping in the confines of their lane.

Sample of Cyclists Observed Near Hamilton Road & Rectory Street between 2021 & Mid-2024

We begin our examination of observed cyclists by showing an example of a westbound cyclist riding on the north sidewalk of Hamilton Road just west of Rectory street in October of 2021.

This view is from October, 2024 and it shows a portion of Hamilton Road just west of Rectory Street. A cyclist is using the north sidewalk to travel westward as a pedestrian is present. While it is difficult to detect, the cyclist is not wearing a helmet. This is a fairly common scenario along Hamilton Road as cyclists avoid sharing the road lane with motorized traffic.

The next two photos show a westbound cyclist riding on the north sidewalk of Hamilton Road just passing west of Rectory Street. These photos were taken on May 9, 2022. This is about the same location where the cyclist was fatally injured on June 19, 2024. If the cyclist had been travelling within the westbound lane it would result in a precarious situation. Note that the cyclist is not wearing a helmet.

The westbound cyclist is barely visible in this photo taken on May 9, 2022 just west of Rectory Street.
This view of the cyclist shown in the previous photo shows that he is not wearing a helmet but at least he is riding on the sidewalk and away from the busy motor vehicle traffic.

In the next three photos we see an eastbound cyclist as he travels in the eastbound lane of Hamilton road through the Rectory Street intersection.

The orange circle in this photo is used to illuminate the small figure of an eastbound cyclist who is riding in the eastbound lane of Hamilton Road as he crosses Rectory Street. This photo was taken on May 11, 2022.
In this photo taken on May 11, 2022 the small figure of the eastbound cyclist is shown as he has progressed further eastward past Rectory Street. Fortunately the steady line of motor vehicles is using the inside lane and not sharing the outside lane where the cyclist is riding.

The final photo of the eastbound cyclist is a close-up view as shown below. He is not wearing a helmet yet he is riding a high-end road bike. Many experienced riders feel confident enough that they can ride further away from the curb, thus drawing attention to themselves, in the belief that this will make drivers of motor vehicles adjust their travel positions away from them. Unfortunately cyclists do not have control over how motor vehicle drivers will react or not react to their presence. In most instances our advice is that, if you have concern about being struck by motor vehicle traffic do not ride in that roadway as riding within the travel paths of motor vehicles only courts a disaster.

While this eastbound rider of a high-end bike feels confident he can ride further away from the curb he is not wearing a helmet and he cannot dictate what actions or non-actions may be taken by approaching motor vehicle drivers.

In the next example we see a rider who has dismounted from their bike and is walking next to the north sidewalk of Hamilton Road just west of Rectory Street. This photo was taken on November 17, 2022. While dressed appropriately to protect from the cold weather this rider is not wearing a helmet that might protect from an impact. Note the rider is also not wearing any reflective clothing and there are no lights illuminated on the bike.

This rider is preparing to mount a bicycle at a location near the north sidewalk of Hamilton Road west of Rectory Street. The rider is not wearing a helmet, their clothing does not make them visible and the bicycle does not contain any lighting.
As the cyclist is preparing to accelerate forward on their cycle the rider has not provided for their safety devices (helmet, clothing, lights) that could protect from an impact.

In the next photo taken on January 6, 2023 we see a westbound cyclist who is riding on the north sidewalk of Hamilton Road and approaching the intersection with Rectory Street. While the cyclist has protected his head with a hat from the cold he is not wearing a helmet.

This photo of a westbound cyclist was taken on January 6, 2023. It is commonly seen that cyclists do not wear helmets when riding along Hamilton Road. This is sometimes a difficulty because typical helmets do not fit well over winter hats.

In the next photo taken on February 26, 2023 we see a westbound female riding in the westbound lane of Hamilton Road and not wearing a helmet. Female riders are uncommon in this area but they commonly do not wear helmets just like their male counterparts.

This view of a westbound female rider was taken on February 26, 2023. With no helmet the rider is in danger of sustaining head injuries if she happens to be struck by a passing motor vehicle.

In the next series of four photos we see a westbound cyclist who had decided to cross Hamilton Road just west of Rectory Street. These photos were taken on December 29, 2023. As he travels onto the south sidewalk it can be seen that he is not wearing a helmet, his clothing does not make him standout and he has no lighting on his cycle.

The next photo was taken on January 30, 2024 and it shows a westbound cyclist riding on the north sidewalk of Hamilton Road just west of Rectory Street. It is approaching sunset and the rider is fully in dark clothing with no lights on their bike. If this cyclist was riding in the westbound lane there would be a good likelihood that they would not be detected by westbound drivers.

In the final photo below we see a rider on April 7, 2024, riding eastbound in the eastbound lane of Hamilton Road a short distance east of Rectory Street. He is attired in typical cycling clothing and is wearing a helmet. Unfortunately his cycle is not equipped with a mirror to allow him to see approaching traffic from the rear.

Discussion

Whenever a collision occurs there are many factors that need to be taken into account to determine how it might be avoided. Too often a simplistic solution is acceptable even to the most experienced investigators. With respect to cyclist collisions on Hamilton Road relevant data that is of proper quality and of sufficient quantity is needed to identify the human, vehicular and roadway influences existent at the road segment. This continues to be lacking while some express opinions that they already know what needs to be done without that data.