Recently there was a interesting twist to the debate over cycling in Ontario. The provincial coroner will now examine the public health issues of cycling fatalities in the province.
This is a good move because it takes the cycling debate away from excessive politicization (e.g. ‘war against the car’) into a less heated, more evidence-based, epidemiological direction.
Most cyclists would agree that cycling in places like Toronto is much more dangerous than it needs to be. Lots of cyclists get killed. One reason is the limited scope of cycling infrastructure in the city.
Toronto has an increasingly crowded and chronically underfunded public transit system. Cycling should be a sensible way of getting around town. But too often it isn’t. Many more people would cycle in Toronto if only it were made safer.
One Comment
Cycling is dangerous in Vancouver, too, though bike paths do make it somewhat easier. Thank goodness for the Stanley Park Seawall! An hour of riding pleasure with no traffic.