Collaboration is key to keeping cyclists safe, says a Vancouver city councillor.
According to ICBC data released last week, there have been 1,695 cyclists injured in the city alone from 2006 to 2010, with an average of 338.2 reported crashes involving cyclists per year. Many more incidents go unreported.
Coun. Geoff Meggs was one of those victims, having been struck by a vehicle while cycling in a bike lane on Angus Drive in 2010.
“There are more people cycling all the time, even now in December,” said Meggs, who suffered separated vertebrae in the collision. “I think the numbers show where the problem areas are quite well. What I’d like to see is for the province, with all their agencies like ICBC, to get more involved.”
While cycling education is readily available, Meggs says the province could help municipalities protect cyclists with cameras at troubled intersections, infrastructure money, uniform safety regulations and road design standards.
Burrard Street is a clear problem area for cyclists, with the areas around both ends of the bridge accounting for four of the top seven crash locations.
Meggs says the separated bike lane on the bridge has brought increased safety, as have the other bike lanes downtown.
“People flock to (bike lanes) because it is much safer,” he said. “Even now it may not be packed but there’s a steady flow.”
All the more reason to take cycling safety and infrastructure more seriously, Meggs says.
The number of cyclists in the city is expected to continue growing, especially as the city’s plans for a bike-share program are dealt with in council in 2012.
Last week, Vancouver programmer Eric Promislow compiled an interactive map of all cyclist collisions reported to ICBC throughout the region. It can be found at bentframe.sandbox.activestate.com.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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