The amazing and energetic @yvonnebambrick appears in this timely report wherein the chairman of the Toronto Police Services Board calls for an updated and responsive approach to the way dooring incidents are tracked.
No point in going through all the facts, again, about how and why cycling is growing in popularity — exercise, agility, gridlock, environment, and all that. Working to make cycling safer, as a matter of public policy, ought to be a no-brainer, no?
And yet, incredibly, it seems we’re still having to fight this battle from square one. Not only are we ripping out bike lanes, we’re still hearing braying from certain Neanderthals for the removal of even more cycling infrastructure. The current administration’s hostility to cyclists and cycling is a matter of record, of course, but it’s not just a matter of stupidity or coarsening public discourse; it has real and tangible effects on public safety.
In some of my smart-assier moments, I quip about this being another front in the War On The Car. I kid, of course, but we all know there are people, too many people, who actually see it that way. They’re serious. I don’t know how to educate, reach out, or engage them, and I’m the first to admit that’s probably not one of my strong points, but then I’ve got cyclist friends who’ve almost gotten killed by asshole motorists, so forgive me if my first reaction isn’t one of diplomacy and understanding.
Really, this isn’t a Downtown Elitist thing. Plenty of people ride bicycles, for whatever reason. They shouldn’t have to feel that they’re taking their lives in their hands every time they mount up.
Related posts:
- Cycling in Toronto and the toxic effect of consistent anti-bike rhetoric | #TOpoli #BikeTO
- Albert McWilliams: You’re Going to Kill Someone
- the penalties for motorists who door cyclists …
- Cyclists, New York, and the Wall Street Journal
- It’s not a War on the Car, it’s a war by cars on everyone else | #TOpoli #TOcouncil #bikeTO
Related articles
- Police board wants Toronto cops to review ‘dooring’ policy (metronews.ca)
- Toronto police won’t track ‘dooring’ until they’re ordered to do so (metronews.ca)
- Toronto Bikers Beware: Surviving Toronto’s Most Dangerous Streets (johndiogenous.wordpress.com)
- Why dooring cyclists is like a sunny day (treehugger.com)
- Bike Safety (insureyes.com)
- I was still drunk and ran a cyclist over on purpose, woman tweets (thetimes.co.uk)
Pressed by Sol Chrom 
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