Cyclist to Pedestrian and Back Again

One neat trick I often see cyclists perform is the instant transformation from cyclist to pedestrian. This often happens when a cyclist reaches a red light and then turns left into the pedestrian crossing area in order to get to the other side of the street. If cyclists dismount and walk their bikes across the street, I don’t see a problem. But I more commonly see them remain on their bikes as they turn into the pedestrian area.

This is a dangerous manoeuvre. Pedestrians are not expecting cyclists to do it; nor are drivers. I’ve seen cyclists swerve into walkways at a fair clip, then weave among the startled pedestrians. There is a good chance of running into someone this way. And what of the driver at the intersection who is about to turn right? This driver will expect a cyclist to stop, not abruptly cut into the car’s path.

Another sudden cyclist-to-pedestrian-and-back transformation occurs when cyclists approach red lights at three-way intersections. If the sidewalk is on their right, some cyclists will jump to the sidewalk, bike past the intersection, and then jump back to the road. I imagine this must be very irritating to the drivers (and cyclists) who are patiently waiting for the light to change. I think cyclists, if they are not going to wait for a green light, should not bother with the pretense of biking onto the sidewalk. No one buys their bogus cover act of “Hey, look! Suddenly I’m a pedestrian—and suddenly I’m not!” They might as well just own what they are doing and bike through the red light.

Cyclists in Toronto still have a reputation for ignoring traffic rules. Pedestrians and drivers alike regularly complain about this. I feel the situation has improved in recent years, but cyclists’ reputation for road-warrior like behaviour is still well deserved.

Transporting Children on Bikes

Riding a bicycle in the city can be a dangerous activity. Not hugely dangerous, but definitely somewhat dangerous. There is no doubt about it. You have to be smart and cautious to avoid being a statistic. But cyclists, for the most part, are only risking themselves. In a typical collision, the cyclist may be badly injured or killed and the bike wrecked, but the driver will usually be uninjured while the car ends up with only a few dents or scratches.

Every once in a while, though, I’ll see cyclists risking not only their own lives, but their children’s too.

The other day as I walked down Woodbine Road in Toronto, I saw a woman and her young child bomb by on a bike. It’s hard to say how old the child was because the bike flashed by me at such high speed. The child was behind the woman, held in a rear-mounted child seat. Woodbine is a major, four-lane road. At the time of day when the woman and her child passed me, traffic is fairly light on this road and, therefore, cars and trucks sometimes travel at fairly high speed. Moments after the bike went by I saw a truck rocket by at what must have been 60 kmh or more. This truck would have passed the woman and her child moments later, very likely in the same lane.

Believe me, I’m all for people using their bikes in town, but I feel that if you want to take your kid with you, either on a bike seat or in a trailer, you really should keep to bike paths and side streets. If you have to cross a major street, dismount and briefly become a pedestrian.

I do have to point out that what I am saying in this post is based on a gut reaction. I was unable to find any numbers for crashes, injuries, or deaths involving children riding in bike seats. An article in The Boston Globe dated May 24, 2014, says: “Statistics about the dangers of biking with children are hard to find. No health or safety agency has information broken down that way.”

I also wondered which of the two methods of transporting young children on bikes was safer. Every source I found said that trailers were safer than rear- or front-mounted child seats. Please note, though, that it is very important to have a high-flying orange flag attached to a trailer to make it more visible to drivers.

An article posted by Parachute reported, “bike trailers are considered somewhat safer because children are lower to the ground and have less of a distance to fall in a crash.”

ConsumersReports.org had this to say: “trailers can tip over if you turn abruptly or turn when one wheel is going over a bump.” But they went on to say that bicycle trailers provide “some protection to passengers since kids are seated, strapped in, and usually enclosed in a zippered compartment. Trailers have a rigid frame enclosed in durable fabric, which offers some protection for young passengers if the unit rolls over”

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that “preferably, children should ride in a bicycle-towed child trailer.”

Please consult the web pages I mentioned for detailed safety instructions on using bike trailers.

Too Cold

This January the weakening of the Polar Vortex is allowing a mass of frigid air to stray south. Toronto often avoids the very low temperatures that occur in most other parts of Canada. But not these days. When I awoke this morning, the temperature was -24 degrees; add in the wind chill and the reading was -39. Perhaps a bit too cold for cycling...

Each winter is the same. Through October, November, and December, as the temperature sinks, I continue to ride regularly, gradually getting used to the cold. But the cold I refer to is usually in the -10 to +10 range. If I dress properly, I’ll be fine.

In January or February, though, there is usually a cold snap that breaks my, and most other people’s, cycling routine. When I have decided that it’s too cold or snowy for cycling, I'll notice a few hardy types still riding their bikes for another day or two. (I’d tip my hat to them, but by that point I’d rather not remove it because of the cold.) But eventually, even these tough people have had enough, and the streets are temporarily without cyclists.

It’s not just the cold that prevents cycling. When it gets really cold, there is just too much ice on the streets. It really would be dangerous on a bike. Throw in the stiff arctic wind we had today, and cycling is out of the question.

I look forward to getting back on my bike. It is so convenient and is such a good way to exercise. The forecast shows I might be able to ride again in two days. But riding today is right out.

Cycling in the Rain

I occasionally enjoy riding in the rain. I don’t love it; I won’t say that. But as long as I am dressed for it, and the rain isn’t coming down too hard, cycling in the rain can be an enjoyable experience.

When we are children, we sometimes want to play in the rain. Most people develop an aversion to being in the rain as they get older. We’ll hurry from the door to the car with an umbrella over our head, trying to minimize the amount of time we spend in the rain. Choosing to bike somewhere even though it is raining is a way to relive the childish enjoyment of just being out in the rain.

Here are some tips for cycling in the rain:

Don’t bike in a downpour. If it starts to rain hard enough, being out on the streets becomes dangerous. You are harder to see, and drivers may not expect cyclists to be out in such a heavy rain, and so may not be on the lookout for them.

Rain jackets that are meant for cycling come in bright colours, often red, blue, or yellow, and have reflective strips on them. If you cycle in the rain, make sure to wear one of these cycling rain jackets, or at least wear a brightly coloured rain coat. I recommend jackets specifically sold to cyclists, because they usually have reflective strips.

You may not enjoy riding in the rain if your clothes are soaked, so make sure you are dressed properly. To keep your legs dry, you can wear rain pants. Or, at least bring a change of pants that you can get into once you have got to your destination.

Keeping your feet dry is also an issue. If your shoes are just water resistant, your feet are going to get wet. Make sure to bring a change of socks, or wear waterproof shoes or boots. Cycling shops sell overshoes for wet weather.

Bike shops also sell rain hats for wearing either under or over your helmet. An over-the-helmet hat is a good option if you would rather not put a tight cap over your hair.

When cycling in the rain, you may come across the odd puddle in your path. Puddles are common on the sides of roads, where we often cycle. Some of them can be a few centimetres deep, and you may wish to avoid going right through one. If you are cycling in traffic, be very careful about swerving to avoid puddles. If you notice that you are approaching a puddle, slow down (but not suddenly) to minimize the wash of water that will be thrown up. Or, you can go around the puddle, but only after you have checked over your shoulder to make sure no cars or other cyclists are coming up.

Enjoy being out in the rain, but be safe and dry while doing it.

Licence to Ride

The other day I witnessed an almost comic example of clueless cycling. A man slowly glided his bike across Danforth Avenue, a major Toronto street, forcing a driver to have to slow down and then change lanes in order to avoid the cyclist. I’m not sure what was going through this man’s mind as he slowly made his way across Danforth, but I can make a better guess at what was going through the driver’s mind...

I remember reading a letter to the editor by someone who thought cyclists should be licensed and tested just as motorists are. This seems like a sensible idea to me. A report by Ontario’s coroner that was released in June 2012 found that of the 129 cycling deaths that occurred between 2006 and 2010, 44 were blamed on the actions of the cyclists involved.(1) I think it is time to bring some seriousness to the way cycling on city streets is approached.

Although I have noticed an improvement in cycling behaviour over the past several years, there still exists a Wild West mentality to cycling in Toronto. Some cyclists take the rules of the road seriously, but many still don’t. I don’t think obeying traffic rules should be optional. In fact I would be happy to see police handing out tickets to cyclists, an event I have yet to witness. Police do occasionally launch ticketing blitzes directed at cyclists, but I would rather see them enforcing the rules every day.(2)

Testing and licensing cyclists would ensure that all cyclists are aware of the traffic rules, and would hopefully reduce the number of deaths and injuries.

1. http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=187427
2. http://www.cp24.com/news/police-dish-out-tickets-in-bicycle-safety-campaign-1.949200

Rough at the Edges

One of the things I least enjoy about biking in the city is having to be on the sides of roads. The conditions of the surfaces at the sides of roads can be extremely poor and are usually much worse than conditions in the middles of roads.

For example, the other day I was riding eastward on Lawrence Avenue and then southward on Bayview Avenue, two Toronto roads much in need of repair in the area of that intersection. The surfaces at the margins of these two roads, particularly Lawrence, are terrible. They have been patched so many times that the pavement is like a bumpy asphalt quilt. There is even the occasional pothole. Gutter is definitely an appropriate word to use!

Riding on surfaces like these is a bone-jarring experience, especially if you are travelling at all quickly. And not just bone jarring but also bike jarring. I’m reasonably sure that riding on these roads caused my crankset to be loosened. I’m going to have to take my bike in to the shop because of this.

Not only are the surfaces at the sides of roads a problem; so too is all the debris that ends up there. The sides of roads end up being covered in pebbles, broken glass, nails, etc., and sometimes even larger bits of trash such as the piece of metal that gauged one of my tires the other day. And let’s not forgot sewer grates that are often sunk many centimetres below the level of the surrounding asphalt.

Anyone who rides on roads like these had better invest in good-quality, flat-resistant tires, preferably ones with a layer of Kevlar. But even these will not be a guarantee against flats, as I found out the other day when a nail caused a flat on my front tire, the first I had had in a long time.

I am often tempted to swerve around potholes or sharp-looking debris, but if there is much car traffic where I am cycling, that isn’t a safe option. Unless I want to risk getting struck by a car, the only choice I have is to slow down and bike carefully through the problem area.

One of the many reasons I enjoy riding in the bike lanes that exist here and there in Toronto is that while there may still be a certain amount of debris on these lanes (though rarely as much as on the sides of roads without bike lanes) the pavement is usually in better shape.

Perilous Pedals

I am for the most part happy with my current bike. The only complaint I have is that it is too heavy. While that is not a major issue; occasionally, when I am lugging my bike up a staircase, I find myself wishing it were lighter. I guess the upside is that it is good exercise when I have to carry my bike.

A component of my bike I did change not too long after getting it, however, was its pedals. The reason I changed them was that they were far too slippery. My feet would sometimes slip right off the pedals’ smooth plastic surfaces, particularly when I was starting to pedal. And this problem was made worse when it was wet out.

For the most part, having a foot slip off a pedal is just an annoyance; it’s a bit of a surprise when you attempt to move forward when a light turns green but instead have your foot come off the pedal and smack to the road. But slippery pedals can be dangerous, too. Think of all the scenarios where failing to move your bike suddenly could be a problem.

Another issue I had with these pedals was that I would sometimes have a foot slip off while I was going up a steep hill. While this too can be dangerous, the main problem is that it is a drag to have to start biking again midhill from a complete stop.

So, I was lucky to have a friend who had a spare pair of pedals, which he offered to give to me to replace my original set. I much prefer these pedals. They are metal and toothed and so grip the soles of my shoes well. It’s possible to slip off these pedals, too, but it happens only very rarely. This is the type of pedal I recommend.

What's the Rush?

I’m cycling down a busy city street; the light ahead has turned yellow; I see an opportunity to make the light if I quickly go to the left of the car ahead of me, which is waiting to turn right; and no sooner has this thought entered my head then I dart past the car and through the intersection. I have a lot of experience biking in the city, and this manoeuvre is safe. Usually safe, anyway…

What can make it unsafe is if I do it so suddenly that I haven’t had time to adequately assess the situation around me. I’m living very dangerously by cycling so unpredictably and impulsively. Drivers should not be surprised by what I do. This is not fair to anyone on the road.

Remember, it is always difficult to predict what drivers will do. A driver may have a similar mindset as me and may also suddenly move in an effort to get across that intersection as the lights are changing from yellow to red. Two vehicle operators, of car and bike, making the same sudden decision to cross an intersection at the last moment (must … make … light!) might well collide. And we know what the likely result of any car-bike collision is.

I often have to remind myself to not make these sudden moves. Just because I think it will be safe doesn’t mean it will be. I have to resist the urge to treat cars as obstacles to be avoided as though I were playing a video game. The weird thing is that I am often tempted to bike impulsively even when I am not in a rush. It seems to be my default mode. I need to change my setting.

I’m reminded of the joke in the Seinfeld episode where Jerry talks of riding in a cab whose driver is driving like a maniac. But Jerry doesn’t feel as though he is in danger. He has the irrational belief that riding in a cab is safe no matter what the driver is doing. As a cyclist, I often have a similar irrational belief in my own safety, and I have to constantly remind myself that cycling around cars is a dangerous endeavour.

Confidence While Riding

Many cyclists are reluctant to ride in the city because they are intimidated by the heavy traffic. And who can blame them? It is a logical fear. I remember that when I resumed riding, several years ago, I felt decidedly unsafe when I first ventured on to the busy streets. Over time I lost most of that fear, but it would be unwise for me to ever lose it altogether. I have been doored twice now and I am well aware that the possibility of accident and injury is always present. The fact is, riding in the narrow curb lanes while cars go by only an arm's length away is a distictly unsafe activity. I am putting my life in the hands of the drivers around me. And as much as I think that cyclists have the right to share the roads with cars, I sometimes feel like a foreign element out there, engaged in foolishly risky behaviour.

Despite my initial unease, I eventually became quite confident cycling in the city. It is important for cyclists to feel confident. Confidence will help make your actions predictable to drivers. (Signalling your intentions is, of course, another way of being predictable to drivers.) A lack of confidence can cause you to hesitate dangerously before making, say, a turn, and this hesitation will cause drivers to be uncertain of your intentions; they may think you are not proceeding with your turn and may then drive into your path.

Too much confidence, however, can cause you to make questionable decisions. The overconfident cyclist will often dart about, making sudden, risky moves. It is important to act in an expected fashion. Don't attempt, for example, to pass in a risky fashion or to quickly squeeze through tight spaces. I find that some cyclists are reluctant to let seemingly anything impede their progress, and because of this, they will jump queue in traffic and make erractic moves. Overconfidence can breed contempt for situations that are actually quite dangerous and can create danger where none existed.

An example of a situation that requires a lot of confidence is when you are making a left turn from the protected turn lane at a busy intersection. It took me some time to work up the courage to try this; I've noticed that many cyclists who want to make left turns will often just bike to the far side of the cross street and then wait at the corner for the lights to change, thus temporarily acting like a pedestrian. Cyclists are allowed to use the left-hand turn lanes, and it is not as dangerous as it looks. The most important warning I can give is that I would not try one of these at night unless your bike is equipped with very bright lights, front and rear, and you are wearing many effective reflective strips. But even in the day, it can feel lonely waiting in the middle of an intersection with all those cars and trucks driving past on both sides. But I don't think that it is particularly dangerous. I have been making lefts like this for years and have yet to have any problems. When you think about it, the only driver that you are really worried about is the one who is right behind you, and it is very unlikely that that driver will miss seeing you. I suggest that you stand tall and stick your left arm straight out (confidently!) to signal; commence signalling as soon as you get in the left-hand turn lane, so that the driver behind you has time to take in the fact that you are intending to turn; and, as when driving, don't forget about the pedestrians. It is all too easy to concentrate only on the oncoming cars while you wait for a break in traffic.

Right-Turning Cars

Often, cyclists will blithely ride past a driver who is signalling a right turn. These cyclists should be aware that collisions in which cyclists are cut off by right-turning drivers are a common occurrence. If you are cycling toward an intersection, you should pay particular attention to the lead car; if the driver is signalling right, you should slow down or stop and let the car make its turn!



I think cyclists should put themselves in the place of drivers making right turns at busy intersections. When I drive, I often find right turns trickier than left turns. Consider: When I'm making a left, the field of view that I have to be concerned with is actually quite small: just a pie slice ahead and to my left; when I'm making a right, the field of view I have to take in is almost a complete circle. Depending on whether the light ahead is green or red, I have to worry about cars either crossing my path or making lefts into the lane I am intending to drive into. At all times, I have to be aware of pedestrians. Aside from watching for pedestrians crossing at the proper time, I also have to consider that some pedestrians might jaywalk. For that matter, I also have to watch out for drivers trying to be the last to slip through on a very stale yellow, or even a fresh red light. Also, I have to watch for any bikes coming up behind me. They can be tricky to see. Sometimes a glance in the rear-view mirror will not show a cyclist who happens to be in my blind spot at the moment I check the mirror. A shoulder check is necessary.



Perhaps what makes right turns trickiest for drivers is the element of time. All the above factors have to be visually taken in in a fast-sweeping arc of attention, and all the changing information has to be processed, with a decision to turn arrived at within a few seconds. Quite daunting, actually! No wonder cyclists are so often cut off by right-turning drivers.



Remember, a cyclist will always come out on the losing end of any bike-car collision. Don't take any unnecessary chances!

Door Prize

When biking on a busy street that has parking, you have two options: ride in the middle of the lane or ride to the side, near to the parked cars. Some cyclists advocate riding in the middle of the lane, and I can understand their point of view. A bike is a vehicle just as a car is; shouldn't cyclists be allowed to ride in the stream of traffic? While riding in the centre of a lane might be allowed, in practise it is hazardous. Some drivers will feel you should not be there; others may get impatient if they feel you aren't moving fast enough. In both instances, this can lead drivers to try to pass you. And occasionally they will try to pass in a dangerous manner.

Riding to the side, however, exposes you to the possibility of someone opening a door in your path. This is the so-called "door prize" (also called getting "doored"). You can't predict your reaction to a suddenly opened door in your path; your reaction will be automatic. The best advice I can give is to ride slowly when going past parked cars. This will give you more reaction time in the event of a suddenly opened door, and more reaction time will reduce the likelihood that you will swerve into traffic or smash into a door.

I also suggest scanning the interiors of parked cars as you bike toward them. Seeing that there is a person in a car will allow you to prepare. You can ring your bell to alert that person that you are approaching, and you can further reduce your speed. Of course you won't see everyone; some cars have tinted windows, and shorter drivers might be hidden by their car seats.

You should also check the signal lights of cars you are approaching. If a driver is signalling to pull into traffic, I recommend slowing right down. You have the right-of-way, but, as always, never assume a driver sees you. Proceed only if you are sure the driver sees you and is waiting for you to pass. Again, I recommend ringing your bell. If you are not sure the driver either sees you or is prepared to wait for you, then stop. The driver may have jumped cue, but at least you avoided being struck by the car.

Despite trying to be vigilant around parked cars, I recently received a door prize. Luckily, I only had some slight scrapes and bruises as a result of the collision, and my bike came through unscathed. I only had to put the chain back on the front sprocket and ride off.

A few years ago, I narrowly avoided another door prize, riding on Bloor Street (in Toronto) during a business day. A delivery truck was stopped at the side of the road, and as I came next to it, the driver opened the door. This time, instead of crashing into the door, I managed to swerve and avoid a collision. However, I swerved into the lane. Luckily, no cars were near me when I swerved! Had a car been coming along, the results could have been dire.