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Brutal drivers in the GTA.

I'm not in favour of licencing cyclists or bicycles for several reasons.
- There is no realistic age restriction
- A bicycle is only human-powered (though the line is blurred with the recent legalization of electric-assist bicycles). The Coast Guard exempts operators of non-motorized small craft from its licencing system.
- It not that easy to distinguish a recreational (trails only) cyclist with a commuter cyclist.
- If a bicyclist was not displaying a licence, without being pulled over, who knows what municipality they are from - it is still very rare to licence them.
- One of the benefits of cycling is that it is cheap and easy to do - as long as you're physically able, of course.
- Licencing fees would have to pay for the admin and enforcement costs, a deterrent to a healthy activity.

That said, I agree with the comments about bad cyclists. The ones you describe, Admiral, are good candidates-in-waiting for Darwin awards (if the driver signals intentions).

Driver licencing has not stopped bad drivers from getting licences either.
 
My girlfriend and I have started to bike a lot downtown, and as a newcomer to biking, I've been pretty shocked at how utterly clueless many bikers are around vehicles like trucks and buses. It's pretty clear to me that many cyclists have never driven, and just don't know how certain vehicles behave (things like turn widths, braking, acceleration etc.), and so they think they can sneak into blind spots with abandon, or sneak by cars waiting to turn, thinking drivers can react as nimbly as bicycles can. Well, they can't. So whenever I hear of a cyclist being killed after colliding with a truck or bus, I'm almost certain it's the cyclist's fault for acting like they're the only one on the road. I don't think many cyclists realize how little a bus or truck driver can actually see down the sides of the vehicle, even with double mirrors on either side.
 
fiendishlibrarian said:
My girlfriend and I have started to bike a lot downtown, and as a newcomer to biking, I've been pretty shocked at how utterly clueless many bikers are around vehicles like trucks and buses. It's pretty clear to me that many cyclists have never driven, and just don't know how certain vehicles behave (things like turn widths, braking, acceleration etc.), and so they think they can sneak into blind spots with abandon, or sneak by cars waiting to turn, thinking drivers can react as nimbly as bicycles can. Well, they can't. So whenever I hear of a cyclist being killed after colliding with a truck or bus, I'm almost certain it's the cyclist's fault for acting like they're the only one on the road. I don't think many cyclists realize how little a bus or truck driver can actually see down the sides of the vehicle, even with double mirrors on either side.
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I don't think most cyclist are aware that they cannot pass on the right if a car is turning right and has indicated a signal.
Does anyone know if this is in the HTA? As a car driver and bike rider I would never pass a right turning car on the right, I guess some people would like a head injury...
 
Many cyclists seem to believe that they are above the traffic laws - hence the driving on sidewalks, refusing to signal, sailing through red lights.
 
AndreaPalladio said:
Many cyclists seem to believe that they are above the traffic laws - hence the driving on sidewalks, refusing to signal, sailing through red lights.
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Cycling on the sidewalk really burns my potatoes!!

One guy called my wife a bitch for not getting out of the way on the sidewalk!!!

I'm going to closeline one of these guys one day!!:eek::eek:
 
The thing that pisses me off is watching parents teach their kids all their own really bad cycling habits - like zooming along the sidewalk.
 
Driving in Ontario would be much safer if the OPP actually enforced the rules.

For example, what is the speed limit on an Ontario freeway? 130? 120? Certainly not the marked 100. Conventional wisdom is that you either drive with the flow of traffic - whatever that might be - or you set the cruise on 120 and you won't get caught. This is very wishy-washy and generally encourages bad civics, which is something that Ontarians are already particularly bad at.

American states generally have more conscientious drivers for two reasons: first, the rules of the road are better enforced, and, secondly, the rules are realistic. 100 km/h is a ridiculously low speed limit to abide by in the year 2007, considering the improvements to both road and passenger car safety in the last 30 years.

The most civilized driving I've seen in Canada was in Alberta. The freeways there have a 110 km/h speed limit (which is realistic) but the cops make it stick. They hand out tickets for jaywalking, but in Edmonton they have crosswalks on every other corner and it's a rule for a motorist to yield to a crossing pedestrian. In Ontario, we don't enforce rules, but we also don't make the rules easy to live by. As a result, we are horribly selfish drivers.
 
I would definitely support a week long crackdown on unsafe cyclists, including cars that obstruct bike lanes. Station cops in key areas such as the CBD, well travelled bike paths, U of T, Chinatown, and one way side streets. Most cycling offenses come with a $250 fine!
 
why not!

Better enforcement by police means higher revenues and that means higher wages.

In Ontario you can easily go 10-15 kph over the speed limit and get away with it for many years.

This is something I'm noticing more lately - motorists ignoring the streetcar doors.
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thats very worrying and could lead to big trouble as streetcar usage starts to increase in the future.


I am going to drive to the Bruce On Saturday. I am sticking to the provincial highways no 400. I expect it to be a nice drive.
 
I am sticking to the provincial highways no 400. I expect it to be a nice drive.
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Secondary highways and roads west of the 400 will provide you with a pleasant drive.

Ah, the Bruce...
 
I went to visit Sauble Beach last summer, and I remember there being very heavy traffic driving home to Toronto. Remembering that Torontonians tend to be unaware that roads other than provincial highways exist, I just dashed over to the next concession where there wasn't a car in sight. Saved myself at least an hour! Remember that when you're driving: if there's traffic on the highway, just go one concession over. Often they're even paved!
 
And you are usually rewarded with pleasant views to boot.
 
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