WINNIPEG – A new report says 19 per cent more Manitobans were hospitalized because of cycling injuries in 2015 than in 2013.
The report, published by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, said 119 people had to deal with cycling injuries at a hospital during the 2015 fiscal year compared with 100 the year before.
Cycling advocate Mark Cohoe said more cyclists on the road, a lack of education for drivers and cyclists on how to share the road and a lack of cycling infrastructure are the three reasons why the number has gone up.
That trend could be reversed by adding more bike paths and protected lanes and other bike friendly infrastructure, he added.
“What we see in a lot of other cities is that the number of people biking increases but the number of people getting injured stays level or actually decreases,” said Cohoe, executive director with Bike Winnipeg.
Not all of the injuries responsible for sending cyclists to hospital referenced to in the report were caused by cyclist-driver collisions.
Zach Fleisher required a hospital visit when was cycling and hit a pothole on Ellice Ave.
“As the city starts to take steps towards creating a real network of cycling infrastructure and paths and trails and ways for people to feel safer than those numbers will go down,” he said, referring to the increase of hospitalizations in the report.
The city does have several dedicated bike lane projects going right now, including on Pembina Highway south of Osborne St.
The north and southbound lanes are expected to open next year.
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