1. joe
   Admin
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Something everyone knows already:

   

   Ontarians afraid to ride bikes, survey says

   • 
     Most Ontarians chose not to ride their bicycles because they don’t feel safe sharing the road with vehicles, a survey has found.

     “Sixty per cent of those surveyed said they don’t cycle, because they are too frightened to do so,” said Eleanor McMahon, founder of the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, which is holding its first Ontario Bike Summit at the Waterloo Inn this week.

     ...

     About 150 cyclists, advocates, politicians and experts are attending this summit which hosted a number of workshops on various cycling issues.

     One of the most popular workshops was one on road safety and the role of police. Over 50 attended.

     “We need to work towards a change in culture to allow users of the road to work together safely,” Waterloo Region Deputy Police Chief Brent Thomlison said at the workshop.
     

2. Duncan
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   I hear this every day from my co-workers. As I'm wheeling my bicycle in and out of the office, without fail, someone will remind me "to be safe out there," or inform me that they are no longer "dare devils" and haven't ridden a bicycle in years.

   Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

3. Militant MTBer
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   I love when they survey 1,000 people (and where?) and claim it's 'most Ontarians'. I despise polls based on that premise alone. If the question was asked in the Kitchener/Waterloo area, I can understand. The majority of that area is car dominated with little public transit or bike lanes as most of that area is sub-divisions made up of vinyl clad, particle board cookie cutter Mc Mansions known to me as 'Stuporbia'.

   They tell me that I have ADD. They just don't underst...Hey look! A Chicken!!

4. joe
   Admin
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Well, when you think about it, almost all of Ontario is dominated by "little public transit or bikelanes" and "suburbia" ... so it makes sense.

   Survey results are always extrapolated. You can't feasibly survey EVERYONE... of course the bigger the sample size the better.

5. Militant MTBer
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Joe said:

   "Well, when you think about it, almost all of Ontario is dominated by "little public transit or bikelanes" and "suburbia" ... so it makes sense."

   To a degree, yes. And unfortunate.

   "Survey results are always extrapolated. You can't feasibly survey EVERYONE... of course the bigger the sample size the better."

   It is usually never beyond a thousand samples. Thats' the comfortable formula that was decided on years ago. Ratings for radio and TV are decided upon in the same manner. Moreover, is 1,000 the actual number of people selected for the sample, or is it the final number of respondents? You may need to take a second look; those two numbers hardly ever match.

   It hate polls or "surveys". They can be and are usually severly skewed. 1,000 people certainly can't be representative of a province that has a population of nearly 13 million. I know they don't speak for the people in these forums who do ride on the roads.

   They tell me that I have ADD. They just don't underst...Hey look! A Chicken!!

6. joe
   Admin
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   That's usually why survey results (such as pre-election polls) usually come with a caveat that says something like "accurate to within +/- 3%" ... there are statistical rules that go along with survey results. The smaller the sample size compared to the overall population, the higher the +/- percent.

7. jeff
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   I also hear this all the time. I know so many people who would love to commute by bike but don't because they feel unsafe on toronto streets. imagine how many fewer cars there would be on the streets if the infrastructure was created so people could safely get wherever they needed to go.

8. misslynx
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   At one point I was terrified of riding in traffic, and thought that any cyclist who rode on busy streets must be insane or have a death wish. Even when I got my bike, I would carefully plan routes on side streets, and if I had to go onto a busy street for even a short distance, I'd walk my bike on the sidewalk.

   But gradually I got a little braver... While still keeping mostly to side streets, I started occasionally venturing onto busier streets if they had bike lanes, and even on ones that didn't, if I had to go on them for just a very short distance, a block or so, I'd actually go on the street instead of walking it on the sidewalk. Gradually I began to realize that riding in traffic wasn't all that bad, at least on most streets - there are some that aren't too good, but that's more an issue of those specific streets being narrow and overcrowded. Now - a little over a year and a half after buying that bike - I ride in traffic all the time and it doesn't bother me at all unless it's exceptionally busy or someone is doing something stupid.

   I think a lot of it comes down to just gradually easing yourself in. Yes, if you're not used to cycling, seeing someone riding along Bloor or St. Clair or something looks crazy and dangerous. But starting on very quiet streets and building up your tolerance for traffic as you get to be more confident can eventually make you one of those "crazy" cyclists you used to stare at. I guess the question is how to get this across to the (currently) non-cycling public...

9. Militant MTBer
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Not fearing riding on the streets, I had a very weird experience yesterday afternoon that left me shaking my head.

   While at a red light, sitting directly next to the curb with front wheel on the stop bar. I could see in my sideview mirror, the champagne coloured SUV 'up my back wheel'. The driver honked at me. I looked back, shrugged my shoulders and looked forward again. The driver honked again and then proceeded to pass VERY close to me, and as she made her right turn, I was forced to hop off the bike and pulled it and me onto the sidewalk. I instinctively yelled out, "What the f**k!?" as, without even flinching, the driver sped off.

   That's right. It's her road and she was late for her lunch/nail appointment/child's 'play date'/neurological exam.

   I think I'll be sitting at least 2 feet from the curb, behind the stop bar from now on.

   They tell me that I have ADD. They just don't underst...Hey look! A Chicken!!

10. monkey
    Member
    Posted 3 years ago #
    

    misslynx I went through the same process of overcoming fear when I started to ride TO's streets. Actually, I wanted to ride for years but simply didn't have the guts. It was only after living in Copenhagen and experiencing the joys of cycling as a safe form of transportation that I decided to do whatever it took to get over my fear and learn to ride in Toronto. I ride everywhere now but I can understand some people's hesitation.

11. twowheelsarebetterthannone
    Member
    Posted 3 years ago #
    

    I tell people to start off riding smaller, quieter streets, and they'll get used to it. With the kilometers I've put in, I'm comfortable enough that I've ridden on some roads people often refer to as death traps, even up in North York (outside of the downtown area) where you have zero buffer between car-bike-curb.

12. sandlynx
    Member
    Posted 3 years ago #
    

    I'm with misslynx,
    I went through the same process. Now, 3 years and 10,000 miles later on these high traffic streets I'm okay with the traffic and all. I get the "be careful and ride safely" paranoid speech from my friends and neighbors, and try to explain to them that it's just a matter of getting used to it and learning to be alert all the time and you'll avoid most problems before they can happen to you.
    This week at a meeting about the city's traffic problems, I found myself saying that "I ride on high-traffic streets, but I'm am experienced cyclist and most people aren't. It's true, but I kind of surprised myself when I said it.
    MilitantMTBer talks about being squeezed off the road by that motorist. That happens all the time everywhere, and taking the middle of the lane so you can't be squeezed out is the solution. Oh, motorists hate you and cuss and swear at you when you do that, but how else are they going to get the message that we intend to use our rights and ride the roads? --That's when they call us "arrogant" because we have the gall to actually use the roads we have a right to. You have to deal with it. JMHO.

13. Duncan
    Moderator
    Posted 3 years ago #
    

    I'm with MilitantMTBer. When I approach a red light, no matter where I am in the queue, I position myself in the centre of the lane. Now, of course I could one day encounter someone so insane that they hit me or ram me, but I still have some faith in humanity that this won't ever happen (again).

    And, when they get on their horns I give them this gesture.

    That said, it was my mother (who lives in a smaller town off the 403) who got me back on my bike. Her and a few friends go on pretty big rides weekly. I've biked with her, and will be tomorrow as well, but there is simply no way I'd want to see her (or expect her to) deal with the traffic I encounter in Toronto. Cars are simply cars, but the (albeit minority) of disrespectful and bullying drivers out there is just too much. I'm looking at you early morning traffic on Bathurst and basically every other street on my commute.

    Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

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