tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168799269480295833.post656583062681118538..comments2023-07-03T06:30:07.696-07:00Comments on Ottawa bike guy: Ottawa cyclist brainstorming sessionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168799269480295833.post-43871680093814661232011-11-30T05:24:39.803-08:002011-11-30T05:24:39.803-08:003rd Anon, yes, I totally agree. As I noted above, ...3rd Anon, yes, I totally agree. As I noted above, at no time was there ever any anti-car attitude and there was a very friendly attitude in the room. I think it's safe to say that we are all aware that problems exist with both parties. I was driving yesterday and waiting at a red light when two cyclists came up and went right through it. I cringed. It was embarrassing. All the good will and education won't stop it though unless it's started at a young age. I think.Ottawa bike guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15365339487504777098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168799269480295833.post-71219157676990358202011-11-29T21:00:58.601-08:002011-11-29T21:00:58.601-08:00As one of the recorders at the session, I can assu...As one of the recorders at the session, I can assure you we talked at length about cyclist behaviour too and we talked lots about education in schools. Referring to a John School for drivers, the idea was for road users in general. The cylists in the room cared about proper road behaviour by all parties (including hipster bike courier dudes, who are destroying a lot of the cyclists goodwill btw -as I see downtown nearly every day). I was amazed how much press coverage it got, I guess as it was all in a very positive, constructive and friendly atmosphere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168799269480295833.post-69676582836582709572011-11-29T12:57:40.415-08:002011-11-29T12:57:40.415-08:00Thanks 2nd Anon for your comment. I agree that cyc...Thanks 2nd Anon for your comment. I agree that cycling safety should be taught at a young age. I think we learn our lessons for life then.Ottawa bike guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15365339487504777098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168799269480295833.post-40162430481097504952011-11-29T11:55:46.289-08:002011-11-29T11:55:46.289-08:00I agree with all the ideas and comments mentioned....I agree with all the ideas and comments mentioned. I would like to add that in The Netherlands cycling safety is taught to children in elementary school as part of the curriculum. At age 11 or 12 before a child moves up to next level of schooling, he/she is required to pass an exam. This is a policy that the provincial government should implement here in Ontario schools. I visited The Netherlands several years ago and NEVER saw cyclists riding through red lights and stop signs, nor in the wrong direction on one-way streets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168799269480295833.post-34952719857730400672011-11-28T18:19:28.190-08:002011-11-28T18:19:28.190-08:00Anon, thanks for your comment. Regarding your firs...Anon, thanks for your comment. Regarding your first comment...we did discuss cycling classes or licencing. As I say in the blog, it was a brainstorming session and we hit on many things. Regarding paragraphs two and three...do you really think so? We licence car drivers now and they must pass a drivers test yet all the anecdotes you mention are also things drivers do. So why would cyclists be any different. I think there is a percentage of cyclists (as there is with drivers) who will always disregard rules and common sense. We can't protect them or do anything about them. They have statistics on their side though as riding a bike is not a dangerous activity. As for making helmets mandatory that is a non-starter. We actually want to make cycling safer for all cyclists and every study done to date shows that mandatory helmet laws significantly decrease the number of people biking. Since there is safety in numbers, reducing the number of cyclists makes things more dangerous for everyone. There are several reasons it is safe to ride a bike in Denmark or the Netherlands (the two safest places to cycle) and one of them is the sheer number of cyclists. Drivers are aware of cyclists because they are ever-present. Feel free to wear one if you are comfortable doing so but it is a personal choice. I should also say that with more than 30 people present (many helmet wearers) no one brought up the subject. Because if you do your homework you will see that helmets have as much going against them as they have going for them...but thanks again for taking the time to comment.Ottawa bike guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15365339487504777098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168799269480295833.post-25560025207100318492011-11-28T12:55:44.855-08:002011-11-28T12:55:44.855-08:00Just my 2 cents... this is all very interesting, ...Just my 2 cents... this is all very interesting, but I think they missed the MOST important topic of all: how to protect cyclist from THEMSELVES by giving them a course on proper road rules and regulations. Sensibilisation works BOTH ways, it's not just for motorists.<br /><br />EVERYDAY I see cyclists putting their life in danger by running red lights, going on the wrong side of the road, not using dedicated bike lanes, listening to loud music with headphones, not giving any indications before they turn, etc... This is by FAR the easiest problem to fix and the one that would give the most results in terms of cyclist safety.<br /><br />I would go as far as having a system similar to the driver's license system, where they would have to follow a course and then pay an annual fee for a bike plate. This would allow to recover some of the costs for dedicated bike lanes, as well as give tickets to those who disregard the laws or do not have the minimum safety equipment on their bike (reflectors, warning bell). Oh and while we're at it we could also enforce wearing a helmet for all riders, it never hurts to have additionnal protection in place.<br /><br />I agree there is also work to be done with motorist drivers, but it would be wrong to put the only focus on them as the core problem really is the behavior of too many cyclists.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com