In case you haven't seen it yet, the Toronto Cyclists Union has a short survey asking for your opinion on things like bike licensing and mandatory bicycle helmet by-laws in the City of Toronto.
- Ward 35 Councillor Adrian Heaps, chair of the city’s cycling committee, and Daniel Egan, the city’s manager of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, pegged the cost of a licensing scheme at $60 per rider at a recent Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee meeting. That’s the amount they say the city and/or province would have to charge to break even.
Critics say strict and consistent enforcement of licensing would divert limited resources away from enforcing the existing traffic rules that already apply to cyclists. Others, including Toronto Cyclists Union Executive Director Yvonne Bambrick, argue that cyclists already pay for their use of the roads through taxes, and that "One of the most effective ways to improve road safety and education would be through the licensing system that is currently in place. Updating the Driver's Handbook to include much more information for and about cyclists/cycling would reach many more road users. Additionally, I believe that a recurring public education campaign about safe cycling and road sharing behaviour would be an extremely effective tool."
Other practical concerns about cycling licenses include granting licenses to children, tourists, and residents of adjacent municipalities, and the administrative challenge and high cost of establishing and maintaining a testing and licensing program for Toronto’s enormous cycling community, recently estimated at more than 939,000 adult riders, and growing.
Click here to fill out the short Bike Union Survey.
