Raise the Hammer

I won't ride in the Cannon lanes and now generally,, with the exception of Lawrence Road, avoid routes with bike lanes.

I'll admit I'm a fairly aggressive rider (i.e. ride as fast as I can), but also practice 'heads up' riding and always try to be aware of potential upcoming hazards. In 7 years of riding in Hamilton, I've had 5 "close calls".

• 1 in Stinson bike lane riding east with the direction of traffic
• 1 in Hunter bike lane riding east counter to one-way traffic direction
• 3 in Cannon bike lane riding east counter to one-way traffic direction

Also, I shiver at the thought of a broken clavicle requiring surgery is termed a "minor injury".

The Stinson Street bike lanes were a welcome and needed addition to the street, giving us a stretch of safer passage when traveling from east to west.

But when they were installed it was done without re-painting any of the missing pavement markings at the minor intersections between Wentworth and Wellington.

The result is that cyclists are frequently, literally, knocked off their bikes by cars rolling through stop signs on the north/south streets. This has occurred within metres of me on three occasions in the last two years.

Just how many cyclists have had this happen to them while using the Stinson bike lanes, or others? Steve, you're another and I wonder how many others there are.

Cyclists here are rather stoic so most victims just pick themselves up off the pavement, the driver asks if they're okay, the dazed cyclist mumbles 'yes' and the driver hops back in their car and speeds off. I doubt that many (any?) of these collisions are reported so nobody really knows how often it's happening but it is happening regularly.

These events could be at least reduced if crosswalk lines were reintroduced at all intersections.

People know they are supposed to stop at the stop sign but when there are no lines it blurs that responsibility. They way overshoot the stop sign then go 'oh, what the hell' and roll right through the turn.

The problem is that this doesn't give them enough time to see anything smaller than a bus, and they end up hitting people.

Are there not requirements for intersections to have crosswalk lines or at least the wide white strip at the stop sign. Doesn't the Highway Traffic Act mandate lines?

That's exactly what happened with my close call on Stinson!

I was riding along in the bike lane when suddenly a car from a side street stopped with it's hood across the bike lane.

I swerved, thus only a close call. Though, lakeside's post has told me that I'm not alone with that experience.

The cyclist should hire a lawyer to sue the driver and defend the ticket. The driver should hire a lawyer to defend the ticket.

The driver is guilty of failing to yield or improper turn, unless the cyclist didn't have a light.

The cyclist is guilty of nothing unless he didn't have a light (then he should thank his lucky stars he wasn't charged with careless.)

Regardless, the cyclist needs to access accident benefits insurance. If he does not have access to his own insurance he has access to benefits through the driver's insurance. This should be started right away.

Comment edited by CharlesBall on 2014-12-05 16:41:35

The conclusion is that cycling is dangerous, with or without tracks. Sad to say, but true.

Comment edited by PiersixBrawler on 2014-12-10 15:24:38

There is so much actually *factually* wrong in this post I don't even know where to begin. I mean, not just "I disagree with your opinion" so much as "that is objectively incorrect".

I pay my taxes and I bike. Apparently my taxes don't count to you. Your license fees barely cover the costs of enforcing laws on the road, much less building it. The road itself predates the invention of the car, as well - Hamilton is old.

In fact, the expenditure is backwards - a tremendous amount of municipal cash that was earmarked for green infrastructure instead gets funneled into roads and bridges.

Please stop trying to rationalize the decision and just admit that you don't really care about anybody but yourself and other drivers - not the environment, not cyclists, and certainly not the people who live around Cannon Street.

Ryan, I like your logic and your advocacy is impeccable. However, your operative words are 'minimizes interactions' etc. The problem is that when auto meets bicycle, the auto wins. When auto meets pedestrian, the auto wins. When auto meets auto, the bigger, faster auto wins. The cards are stacked int the auto's favour. So, cycling is dangerous. That is indisputable. I am not saying not to cycle as a result, but to build these cycling lanes to increase safety is a placebo which may make things even more dangerous. We need to recognize that and be ever alert.

Agreed, on many points. Ryan's advocacy and Cyclomaniac's point.

Minor auto-to-auto interaction everyone typically walks away. Auto-to-bike the cyclist is "loaded into an ambulance" with "minor injuries".

Yeah, just a broken clavicle and a pending surgery... I wonder if the driver is driving again yet?

I'm beginning to believe that cycle lanes are good for the majority of cyclists, but more dangerous for some who ride quicker/more aggressively.

I'm beginning to believe that cycle lanes are good for the majority of cyclists, but more dangerous for some who ride quicker/more aggressively.

This is actually my favorite part of the increasing infrastructure. The "normalization" of cycling.

The things that make fast aggressive cycling comfortable, are the same things that make fast aggressive driving comfortable. If you're brave you take a lane and as fast as you can pedal you are free to go. The corollary being that stopping is more unappealing hence the rider also takes more risks when they should be stopping.

The things making it less possible for cyclists to fly as fast as they want all the time, are the things that slow cars down too, and draw other people out to make trips by bike.

The same things that make motorists more aware of cyclists and improve safety, will also work to make antisocial riders stick out more when they do dumb stuff such as blow intersections and create conflict for others. The taming of aggressive riders, combined with the increase of new riders, is exactly the desired outcome!

I rode for many years in the pioneering days that predated bike lanes, and I ride fast in mixed traffic, and I somewhat enjoy it. I also ride in heavier cycling traffic in Netherlands and downtown Toronto. The latter is much more pleasant, yes it means riding with a flow of other people rather than wild and free, but the lowered stress, increased attentiveness from cars, and generally more pleasant street, far outweigh anything that is lost.

So while Hamilton "debugs" its implementation of this new technology called a separated bike lane :) when approaching a high risk intersection like Cannon + Anything, glance over your shoulder, stop pedaling for a second and coast while take a quick scan of what's around you. I promise it will work quite well in lieu of a whistle or train horn :)

I didn't make it as far as Tim Hortons this morning without a pickup truck turning across my path, but this one too, was no big deal. It's wrong and annoying, but at this point in the evolution of cycling in Ontario, sometimes we have to brake for turning cars to literally save ourselves.

I hope this person recovers quickly, that's a bad day if there ever was one.

Comment edited by mikeonthemountain on 2014-12-07 13:29:06

I've been riding the Cannon Cycle Track at least twice a day (to/from work) since it opened and I pass through the Cannon/Wellington intersection every time. I have lost count as to the number of times I've been nearly hit. I've even had the experience of a car waiting for pedestrians to cross Cannon (at Wellington) and thinking "ok awesome, they are paying attention" to then go through the intersection and have them fly around the corner. With the winter around the corner, it's going to only get more dangerous. Bikes can't stop as fast, just as cars cannot.

The most frustrating part is the drivers don't even notice you, or hear you if you scream at them. So I decided to buy a 140dB bike horn. Though I don't think I should have to resort to having one on my bike, nor should others, for now it helps me draw more attention.

Comment edited by JM325 on 2014-12-06 10:22:12

As mentioned previously based on a few experiences like yours, I've given up riding on the Cannon bike lanes. I can't afford to be the guinea pig while we wait for it to be an excepted part of the urban landscape by drivers.

Another option is to ride with a whistle in your mouth.

I know it's a pain, it puts money into Ron Foxcroft's pocket, and isn't as recognizable as it used to be when every police officer controlling an intersection had one. But, it's a loud high-pitched sound that can be sounded in a breath.

I don't understand why the cyclist was charged with not having a light. When it was knocked off at impact was it then lost?

Because the cyclist was loaded into an ambulance, so was taken from the scene, the police didn't scour the area looking for it and a few hours later when the cyclist was charged and discharged from hospital it had been pulverized into non-existence by the cars running over it.

If that's what occurred, since you seem to be in the know, you should be forwarding that to the HPS to assist in their investigation. If you aren't comfortable doing so, contact Crime Stoppers to anonymously put in that tip.

If you aren't serious and are just going based on your thoughts or opinion, then you should probably update the above post to reflect that.

All supposition on my part. But in all likelihood what happened since the cyclist stated "my light was knocked off on impact".

since the cyclist stated "my light was knocked off on impact".

But since anyone will say anything to get away with something, it has to be taken at face value. Wouldn't there be something left on the bike? Mounting bracket? Mark where it was mounted? Pieces of plastic? Maybe it used to be there but came off before and the cyclist never noticed?

We'll stop with the devil's advocacy now. It's not what you know, it's what you can prove. And with no proof, it didn't happen.

Comment was to RTH, so wouldn't have been said to "try to get away with something".

I thought the same thing with the bracket, but could have been a MEC Turtle light, or similar, so no bracket.

Add one more to the tally. Cyclist running a red light. Who's keeping count? I think it's now, 4 for cars at fault, 3 for cyclists.

eBike at Cannon @Catherine a few minutes ago. Fault not known, at least by me, at this time.

As cyclists, we too must heed the traffic laws. This post just hit the CBC after a cyclist habitually ran red lights.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/n...

There's enough room on the road for everyone if we all pay attention.

Just saw the CBC post as noted above. My comments are sadly prescient. Be careful out there. And there is not snow on those bike lanes yet. I was out today; a relatively good day and even on a Sunday I saw some close calls.