Cyclist observations by Gorski Consulting in the City of London Ontario reveal important facts. There are large differences in the characteristics and safety of cyclists depending on what area of the City is examined. Such findings could help those interested in cyclist safety. This article will discuss cyclist observations as a whole within London and then this city-wide data will be compared to four sites where obvious differences were observed.

Review of City-Wide Cyclist Observations

Zygmunt Gorski has been conducting road safety research and motor vehicle collision analysis in the City of London and southern Ontario for over 44 years. While the focus of that work has been varied, cyclist collisions and safety have always been a part of that work. In the last 12 years a greater focus has been applied to cyclist safety as society has recognized that it needs to increase the number of persons using bicycles for their mode of travel. Special studies involving synchronized, multiple video cameras have always been part of collision analysis at Gorski Consulting however these became more focused toward cyclists, particularly since 2018. These studies provided details of cyclist motions and characteristics. Some of this testing was conducted along the Thames Valley Parkway in London but also at other sites where cyclist issues needed to be assessed. This focus was increased even further in 2020 as Gorski Consulting began to make specific observations of cyclists, either riding on roads, or existing on roadsides and sidewalks. The data from these roadside observations in the topic of the present article.

Since 2013 over 5000 cyclist observations have been made by Gorski Consulting along various roadways in London. The majority of these observations took place since 2020. The table below provides a glimpse of some of the characteristics of these cyclists. This table also provides some information about the differences found at four sites in London.

In the above table it can be seen that the percentage of observed female cyclists throughout the City of London has been about 13.8%. This is obviously small. There have been a number of theories discussed in the research, much of it based on interviews of females and why they do not ride bicycles.

The above table also shows that the percentage of cyclists wearing helmets throughout the City has been about 35.5%. If one were to relate this to seat-belt usage in motor vehicles the percentage of helmet users is substantially smaller than those wearing seat-belts in cars. Yet occupants of cars are protected by an additionally wide range of safety devices which generally make occupants of motor vehicles much safer than cyclists, beyond the mass difference.

The above table also shows that cyclists observed to be riding in the lane of a roadway or in a designated cycling lane is 34.6%. The rest of the cyclists were found either riding on a sidewalk, walking their bike on a sidewalk of stopped on a sidewalk. Since laws of the City of London and the Province of Ontario prohibit cyclists from riding on sidewalks this result makes for interesting discussion.

The results from the selected four sites shown in the above table will be reviewed in the following segments of this article.

Views of Sites Where Comparisons Were Made

1. Hamilton Road

Hamilton Road is an arterial roadway in the south-east of the City of London. Historically it used to carry motor vehicle traffic out of the City and toward the slightly larger City of Hamilton, Ontario. The area of Hamilton Road selected for study here is about 4.4 kilometres in distance from Maitland Street at the edge of downtown, up to Highbury Ave in the south-east of the City.

Over time many small, independent businesses developed along this road which was originally just two lanes in width. A number of years ago Hamilton Road was widened to four lanes with no median between the two directions of traffic. While this widening helped with the flow of motor vehicle traffic it also created a problem for vulnerable users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, who sometimes needed to get across the four lanes.

Recently several cyclist fatalities have occurred along this stretch of Hamilton Road. While basic information about these occurrences was released by local news agencies nothing of any usefulness was revealed about how these fatalities occurred and therefore how cyclists and drivers of motor vehicles could prevent such incidents.

Observations of cyclists along this roadway revealed that there were slightly less female cyclists (12.8%) than the City average. Larger differences were noted in helmet use (only 25.2% versus 35.5% city-wide) and more cyclists were observed not riding on the road (26.4% versus 34.6% city-wide. When compared to the other three sites these data suggest that Hamilton Road is an unsafe location for cyclist travel.

In this eastward view from April, 2022 we can see the four lanes of motor vehicle traffic on Hamilton Road and a westbound cyclist riding on the north sidewalk of the road. While laws prohibit cyclists from riding on a sidewalk this view shows the danger posed to the cyclist if indeed he followed the law and rode in the lane shared by motor vehicles.
This view on Hamilton Road at Adelaide Street shows a cyclist stopped within the westbound lane with minimal room between the curb and adjacent SUV. Similarly, an elderly female with her back turned reminds viewers that vulnerable users of Hamilton Road also exist.
In this view of Hamilton Road looking west from west of Rectory Street we can see a cyclist attempting to cross the four lanes while holding a parcel and not wearing a helmet. These are the types of cyclists and behaviours that need to be documented and considered before decisions are made about permanent solutions to the road’s safety problems.

2. Dundas Street

Much like Hamilton Road, Dundas Street east of Highbury Ave is an arterial roadway with conditions that are unsafe for cyclist travel. The segment of Dundas reviewed in this study is from Highbury Ave eastward to Clarke Road. Dundas has remained a four-lane roadway for well over half a century. It benefits from a centre-left-turn lane which is often used by pedestrians and cyclists when needing to cross this busy roadway.

In this view of Dundas Street looking eastward near First Street two cyclists are observed in the centre left turn lane at an unusual time of minimal motor vehicle traffic. Normally such motions would be difficult for cyclists when traffic volume is normally more dense. Unlike Hamilton Road here cyclists gain some protection from the existence of the centre turn lane.

The above table shows that significantly less female cyclists have been observed on this roadway (9.8% versus 13.8% city-wide). Helmet use is also less than the City average (22.7% versus 35.5% city-wide). And cycling on a lane is very low compared to the City average (10.2% versus 34.6% city-wide). These data indicate that, like Hamilton Road, Dundas Street is an unsafe location for cyclist travel.

In this view looking eastward on Dundas Street at Second Street a cyclist is observed riding in the eastbound lane while a pick-up truck is changing lanes to pass the cyclist. While the cyclist is wearing a traffic vest it is partially covered by a black knapsack. This is a dangerous area for cyclist travel in the lane and the vast majority of cyclists prefer to break the law and ride on the sidewalk.

3. Ridout – Upper Queens

In contrast to the data from Hamilton Road and Dundas Street, the data from the busy collector road of Ridout-Upper Queens shows far safer cycling conditions. The section of Ridout examined here is from Horton Street at the south edge of the City’s downtown, through the community of Old South and toward the newer community toward Ferndale Ave where Ridout is re-named Upper Queens. This roadway travels north-south. It carries traffic from trendy locations such as Wortley village which is one of the more desirable locations of the City. The City has installed a painted cycling lane along this roadway and the benefits of this can be seen in the cyclist observational data.

In this view looking north along Upper Queens near Chiddington Ave the existence of the cycling lane is clearly visible and a cyclist with bright clothing, a bright headlight and a helmet is seen riding southbound within the cycling lane. Painted cycling lanes become less safety when they exist in areas of horizontal and vertical curves. Although Upper Queens contains some minor vertical curves the full length of Riddout-Upper Queens is generally straight with minimal horizontal curves.

Female cyclists along this roadway were observed to be higher than the City average (15.7% versus 13.8% city-wide). Helmet use by cyclists along this roadway was exceptionally high (78.9% versus 35.5 city-wide) and the percentage of cyclists observed using the cycling lane was very high (78.9% versus 34.6% city-wide). Thus female cyclists would appear to have less concern riding on this roadway and all cyclists used their helmets at an exceptionally large percentage.

This view is looking northward along Ridout Street near Grand Ave. This “zoomed in” view has been purposely selected to highlight an important fact about the differences in roadways experienced by drivers of higher-speed motor vehicles and cyclists riding at lower speeds. Roadways that appear to be straight in a cyclist’s point-of-view are experienced differently by drivers of motor vehicles because the length of the roadway is compressed or “zoomed in” because of the higher speed motor vehicle travel. Thus, as shown above, slight horizontal curves are more exaggerated and must be accounted for by turning a steering wheel to stay within the centre of a lane. Often motor vehicle drivers are not attentive enough to these changes and can allow their vehicle to wander into a painted cycling lane. This concept is rarely discussed with cyclists.
In this view of a southbound cyclist on Upper Queens we see a more expensive cargo bike that would a rare sighting in areas like Hamilton Road and Dundas Street. This view highlights the importance of cyclist observations and understanding the characteristics of cyclists using a particular roadway and the purpose of their trip.

4. Colborne North Of St James

Results similar to the Ridout-Upper Queens roadway were observed on Colborne Street near St James Street. Colborne Street runs north/south north of the City’s downtown. Colborne travels through the Old North neighbourhood which is also a desirable real estate location. Here observations were made at a point just north of St James Street. This specific location was selected because in 2022 Gorski Consulting was in the process of gathering cyclist data in preparation for the City’s installation of a new, painted cycling lane. The site has been included in this discussion because of the unusual character of the observations made in 2022.

This Googlemaps view of Colborne Street is looking south toward St James St before a cycling lane was installed in 2023. The southbound lane is exceptionally wide and there are wide grass boulevards on both sides of the road. The road is also straight. These features made it desirable for a cycling lane however a vast majority of cyclists were already using the road for their travel rather than riding on the sidewalk.

From the 2022 data at the Colborne site the number of observed female cyclists was significantly higher than the City average (25.6% versus 13.8% city-wide).

The number of cyclists wearing helmets at this site was much higher than the City average (62.2% versus 35.5 city-wide. But this average was lower than at the Ridout-Upper Queens site. What was interesting however is that there was a large difference between males and females with respect to helmet use. Only 56.7% of males were observed to wear helmets yet 78.3% of females were observed to wear helmets.

Even though a cycling lane was not yet in existence in 2022 the number of cyclists riding within the road lane was exceptionally high (97.8% versus 34.6% city-wide).

This photo was taken in 2022 on Colborne St at St James. Red markers were placed on the pavement in order to study the lateral position of cyclists and motor vehicles before a painted cycling lane was created in 2023.

Discussion

This article has reviewed the results of cycling observations in London, Ontario. Data has been presented from a city-wide perspective showing the characteristics of over 5000 cyclists over a period from 2013 to 2024. These data were then compared to characteristics of cyclists at four local sites in the City. Two sites, Hamilton Road and Dundas St presented evidence of poor safety for cyclists. Two other sites, Ridout-Upper Queens and Colborne Street showed evidence of reasonably good safety conditions for cyclists. The purpose of these discussions is to draw awareness to the importance of studying cyclists as they travel or exist on roadways before conclusions are drawn about what permanent and costly changes are made to the roadway infrastructure to better accommodate cyclists. A thorough understanding of the details surrounding cyclist characteristics, the reasons for their journeys and the actions they undertake are crucial to developing an infrastructure that is sensitive to the unique needs at specific roadway sites.