CALGARY – A new study that found collisions with moving cars pose the biggest risk of serious injuries for young cyclists is bolstering the call for separated bike lanes in the city.
Preliminary data from a University of Calgary study, which looked at data collected from emergency rooms in Calgary and Edmonton from 2008 to 2010, found that cyclists who collided with moving vehicles were nearly four times more likely to suffer severe injuries than cyclists who had other types of accidents.
The findings lend support for more separated bike lanes, said Health Sciences student Jackie Williamson, a researcher on the study and a cyclist herself.
“This is definitely speaking volumes. If you are four times more likely to have a severe injury after being hit by a motor vehicle, then we need to be cautious about where our bikers are in relation to motor vehicles,” Williamson said.
“Certainly being in an exposed area is putting people at risk.”
About 40,000 Calgarians ride a bicycle for transportation regularly in the spring, summer and fall, according to Bike Calgary.
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The new study looked at children and adolescents less than 18 years old. Over a two-year period, 1,470 young cyclists were seen in emergency rooms in Calgary and Edmonton because of bike injuries. Of those, 87 were injured because they collided with moving vehicles, and 20 of those had to be hospitalized for a severe injury – a proportion nearly four times higher than for any other type of accident.
Collisions with moving vehicles were a greater risk factor for severe injury than not wearing a helmet, the study found.
While the study looked only at children and adolescents, there is “substantial” evidence from other studies that adults face the same elevated risk of injury with moving vehicles, Williamson said.
Last October, aldermen gave the go-ahead for the city’s first set of barrier-separated bike lanes, on 7th Street S.W. Construction is slated to start this spring with the lanes ready by July.
Cycle tracks don’t just provide safety for cyclists – they also protect pedestrians and motorists, said Ald. Druh Farrell.
Without tracks, cyclists trying to avoid traffic might ride on the sidewalk, presenting a danger to pedestrians. And cars trying to avoid cyclists might swerve or change lanes, posing a danger to other drivers, Farrell said.
“What happens when a bike has a cycle track is everyone sticks to their spot and altercations; motor vehicle accidents, collisions of all sorts, go down. It is safer,” Farrell said.
Finding a comfortable space on the road is one of the many challenges of urban cycling, said Brent Clark, the president of Bike Calgary.
“More segregated bike lanes would provide a more comfortable environment for cyclists, and that would get more people cycling, which would raise awareness of cycling among more roadway users,” Clark said.
But while bike lanes certainly have their place, education is what’s most likely to keep young cyclists safe, said Melissa Malejko, a Can-Bike cycling instructor.
Most car-bike collisions with young cyclists happen at intersections, Malejko said.
“The bigger challenge is that these are children who don’t understand the rules of the road. They don’t know what’s expected of them as users of a vehicle, because a bicycle is a vehicle, and they’re not being properly taught that,” Malejko said.
“It’s unfortunate that so many kids are being hurt, but I don’t think bike lanes are the solution.”
With files from Jason Markusoff, Calgary Herald
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