Take the Lane

Once again, police have decided to crack down on lawbreaking cyclists targeting sidewalk riding downtown, particularly Queen Street.  Most people who ride on the sidewalk are scared to ride on the road and are intimidated by traffic.  That's unfortunate.  Despite perception, it's actually more dangerous on the sidewalk than on the road.  The city's annual bike car collision data shows that sidewalk riding was the most common cause of collision, most cyclists getting hit at driveway intersections or as they rode through crosswalks.  Very low on the list was getting hit from behind.  Most collisions occur because the cyclists are not behaving as traffic in a predictable fashion where drivers are looking for and expecting traffic.  When you drive, you are hardwired to look for traffic on the right of the road.  On narrow lanes, the safest place to ride is in the middle of the lane as explained in the MTO Cycling Skills Manual.

A good way to resolve the problem would be to install singnage such as those found in Portland, Oregon.