A Toronto councillor is pushing for changes to Ontario’s driving rules that she says will keep cyclists safer and in the meantime, she wants the city to enact a bylaw.
Kristyn Wong-Tam is calling for drivers to maintain a distance of one metre when passing bicyclists.
“When a driver hits a cyclist, it’s a matter of life and death,” Wong-Tam told CityNews on Friday.
“The Ontario chief coroner in his 2012 report…recommended more specific wording in the Highway Traffic Art and the separation distance between passing vehicles and bicycles.”
Currently, the Ontario driver’s handbook recommends motorists “allow at least one metre between your car and the cyclist,” but there’s no exact distance in the Highway Traffic Act.
The instruction manual also reminds drivers that cyclists are allowed to take up a full lane.
“There’s things we should do, and then there’s the law. This is an important one to put on the books,” Cycle Toronto’s executive director Jared Kolb told CityNews.ca.
“A voluntary measure isn’t enough.”
Kolb compared the proposed bylaw to the single-file bylaw that was repealed earlier this year.
“It’s similar in that it’s a low cost measure to increase safety. It’s different in that we’re adding something rather than repealing something,” he said.
Kolb and Cycle Toronto were part of the 2012 coroner’s review of the province’s cycling deaths. Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner found that all of the province’s 129 cycling deaths between 2006 and 2010 were preventable.
Cycle Toronto and other groups made submissions to the Ministry of Transportation last year but so far, no recommendations have been implemented.
Wong-Tam is hoping the city can enact a local bylaw. She wants council to discuss the proposal at its meeting next week. To introduce the item, which is not on the agenda, she will need the support of two-thirds of city councillors in attendance.
Otherwise, the item will be deferred to Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee.
“Councillors are mindful that there is limited space on the road and we have to ensure that everyone gets home safely. At the same time, this is a very interesting composition of council,” Wong-Tam said.
“This is certainly a lot cheaper than installing bike lanes.”
