TORONTO – A new study on cycling in urban areas suggests a lack of infrastructure has led to North American cyclists being eight to 30 times more likely to be serious injured than their European counterparts.
Professor Anne Harris of Ryerson University School of Occupational and Public Health led the purportedly landmark study of how route infrastructure can influence the risk of injury to cyclists.
Intersections on residential streets, slow moving cars, streetcar tracks, construction sites and shared bike lanes were identified as infrastructure that can make routes more dangerous for cyclists.
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Bike lanes have long been a point of contention at city hall but the city is currently implementing the Toronto Bicycle Plan which consists of approximately 495 kilometres of bike lanes.
However, many of the proposed bike lanes are not fully separated which researchers found “offered no significant protection for cyclists,” according to the press release for the study.
“Our research demonstrates that transportation planners really need to segregate cyclists from motor vehicle traffic just as we use sidewalks to separate pedestrians,” Harris said in a press release. “If people see cycling as a safer activity, they would be more encouraged to commute by bike, which makes them more active and healthy citizens.”
The study found that separated bike lanes, found on the length of Sherbourne Street from King Street to Bloor Street, significantly decrease the risk of injury among cyclists.
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