W.J. Lucas, M.D., C.C.F.P.
Regional Supervising Coroner
Central Region
24 Queen Street East
Brampton, Ontario L6V 1A3
July 22, 2002

Dear Dr. Lucas:

We are writing in response to your letter of April 24, 2002 addressed to His Worship, Mayor Mel Lastman, regarding an update on the actions undertaken by the City of Toronto to enhance cycling safety in response to the recommendations contained in your 1998 Report on Cycling Fatalities in Toronto.

The City of Toronto is very committed to improving conditions for cycling and encouraging more trips by bicycle. Towards this goal, City Council adopted the Toronto Bike Plan in July 2001. This ambitious ten-year plan sets out principles, objectives and recommendations in order to create a safe, comfortable and bicycle friendly environment in Toronto which encourages people of all ages to use bicycles for everyday transportation and enjoyment. The new draft Official Plan also recognizes bicycle transportation as an important element in the long-term plan for the City.

According to a 1999 City of Toronto Cycling Survey, there are over 939,000 cyclists in the City over the age of 15. Every year, more people are realizing the benefits of using their bikes as a means of transportation in the City, improving their fitness level and improving air quality by leaving their cars at home. I have included a copy of the Toronto Bike Plan for your information.

Following are comments on actions undertaken by the City of Toronto in response to Recommendations 4, 5, 6, 10, 13 and 14 of your report. Recommendations 10 and 11 are primarily the responsibility of the Toronto Police Service and they will respond directly to you on those, though we have added some comments on Recommendation 10.

Recommendation #4
That the City of Toronto, with the assistance of the Ontario Trauma Registry, the Ministry of Transportation and other interested parties, initiate a comprehensive study of bicycle usage and collisions within the City. The study would include:

• probable causes of collisions (behavioural, geometric design, road condition, etc.)
• high frequency collision locations
• bicycle collision/injury trends
• physical infrastructure improvements to prevent collisions (site specific or systemic changes)
• educational messages for drivers, cyclists and the media
• any other relevant issues

In July 1999, Transportation Services staff began a comprehensive analysis of all reported collisions between bicycles and motor vehicles that occurred in 1997 and 1998. The study design, which examined over 2,500 collisions, was based on U.S. Federal Highway Administration research which classifies collision according to "crash type" and identifies contributing factors. The findings of the study have provided a wealth of information about cycling collisions in the City of Toronto and a final report on the Bicycle-Motor Vehicle Collisions Study will be published this Fall.

With the aid of GIS mapping, the bicycle collision data has been analyzed geographically to identify trends in different parts of the City. This information has enabled us to begin targeting safety educational programs to areas where they will be most effective. For example, the most common type of collision on downtown streets involved drivers opening their car-door in front of a cyclist. As a first step in reducing this type of collision, the City has developed a mandatory sticker program for taxicabs - a reminder to taxicab drivers and passengers to look for bikes prior to opening the car door.

With the new Toronto bicycle collision data we have updated our CAN-BIKE program and have added a new chapter on collisions and crashes for our instructors to use in public courses. The data has helped us to identify new areas of concern in terms of educational messages for drivers, cyclists and the media. For instance, over 30% of the cyclists involved in reported motor vehicle collisions were cycling on the sidewalk immediately prior to their collisions, making this the most frequent contributing factor. We have launched a new Sidewalks are for Pedestrians Campaign in 2002 which highlights the danger to both cyclists and pedestrians when cyclists ride on the sidewalk.

Recommendation #5
That a multi-disciplinary team involving municipal staff, including traffic engineering, bicycle facility planning and bicycle safety training staff, and police and ambulance personnel be established to conduct an annual review of all cycling fatalities in the City of Toronto as well as bicycle collision data.

The findings of the Bicycle-Motor Vehicle Collision Study have been presented to the Toronto Cycling Committee and the key staff involved in planning for and educating cyclists (Transportation Planning, Toronto Police Service, Transportation Services, etc.). The final report, to be published this Fall, will identify next steps and a recommended process for an ongoing review of bicycle collision data and trends.

Recommendation #6
That the City of Toronto identify on-going funding sources to expand cycling collision/injury prevention programs. This could include, but not be limited to:

• more widespread availability of CAN-BIKE training for adults and youth;
• publishing regular road safety reports that highlight common collision types and
• ways to prevent them; and
• production of a bicycle safety video for use in driver training.
• programs, police training programs, in schools and other programs.

The City of Toronto has had difficulty in identifying on-going funding sources to expand cycling collision/injury prevention programs. Prior to the Bike Plan, Urban Development Services invested $108,000 in its cycling safety programs. That amount was maintained in 2002 with no increases to accommodate new projects identified in the Bike Plan. Funding constraints will continue to impose limitations on the delivery of bicycle safety programs.

• More widespread availability of CAN-BIKE training for adults and youth

The City's Parks and Recreation Division is taking over the delivery of CAN-BIKE courses which are being held in 15 Community Centres across Toronto. As staff becomes more familiar with CAN-BIKE, the program will be well-positioned to expand into more community centres over time. CAN-BIKE still relies on word-of-mouth advertising, although we have developed a new CAN-BIKE poster for display. Many cyclists are still not aware of the program.

• Publishing regular road safety reports that highlight common collision types and ways to prevent them

No action yet.

• Production of a bicycle safety video for use in driver training.

With limited resources, Urban Development Services is developing a CAN-BIKE driver-training unit. It has been pilot-tested with driving instructors at the Road Safety Educators' Association Annual Conference in 2002. Still in development, the "Driving with Bikes" curriculum will rely on overheads rather than video or power point presentations in order to reduce costs. Once completed, "Driving with Bikes" will need to be marketed to the driving industry. The need for a Canadian-made bicycle safety video to be used in the CAN-BIKE program is still required as a US video currently in use does not reflect Canadian laws or best practises.

• Programs, police training programs, in schools and other programs.

Schools and parent groups request the City's assistance in providing bicycle safety training for students. The City does not have the capability, either through the Ambassador program or through police bicycle rodeos, to meet the demand. We have sent a cycling questionnaire to schools within the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the information collected will allow us to work with both individual schools and school boards to find solutions to the delivery of bicycle safety courses to students. Soon, we will begin work on developing a Bike Bus program - where bikes, helmets and trainers can arrive at a school or a corporation or at a community festival/event and deliver on-bike safety courses. We will approach school boards and other corporate partners in the development of this program. This initiative is part of the Bike Plan and is at least two years away.

Recommendation #10
That the Toronto Police Service, in partnership with the municipal Cycling Committee, expand targeted enforcement and education efforts towards specific behaviours (cyclists and drivers) which cause collisions, and use the media to raise awareness of these behaviours.

Although the Toronto Police Service will be responding to Recommendation #10, attention should be drawn to educational efforts that are implemented annually by volunteers from the Toronto Cycling Committee, staff from Urban Development Services and the Police. Toronto Police took part in the City's annual Bike Week this year by inviting cyclists to Police Headquarters to attend a Breakfast on Friday June 7, 2002. A Toronto police officer and the bicycle safety planner for Toronto who are CAN-BIKE certified also taught a special CAN-BIKE course for reporters, police officers and bicycle couriers in order to draw attention to the importance of training for safety. All of these initiatives are aimed at raising awareness about bicycle safety.

The Road and Trail Safety Ambassadors have also been an effective way to deliver bicycle safety programs to cyclists and drivers across Toronto. This program has been scaled back due to funding limitations. In the past, up to 20 summer students have been able to deliver bicycle safety programs (such as S.P.A.C.E and O.A.S.I.S.). This year only 5 students have been hired and, consequently, our response to demands for bicycle safety programming has been limited.

Recommendation #13
That The City of Toronto identify potentially dangerous locations for cyclists including high frequency accident locations and cyclist-identified problem areas where site specific improvements can be made to prevent bicycle collisions.

This recommendation has been incorporated into the Toronto Bike Plan and Transportation Services staff are working closely with the Toronto Cycling Committee and other cycling groups to identify problem locations and make improvements where feasible.

Recommendation #14
That The City of Toronto develop a comprehensive network of on-street bicycle lanes and routes and off-street trails to enhance bicycle safety.

The recommended Bikeway Network is a central component of the new Toronto Bike Plan. The Plan recommends a 1000 km network of dedicated bicycle lanes, signed shared bicycle routes and off-street trails to be developed over the next ten years. Several new bicycle lanes have been approved for installation this year, in year one of the Bike Plan, and several more are in the planning and design stages. City Council has committed over $1.5 million for bikeway development in 2002 alone.

To conclude, we have been able to strengthen many existing safety programs over the past four years. Our success is evident in the number of requests that we receive from the community who clearly want to have on-going access to cycling information. We have developed new ways of "getting the message out". The City has a new on-line subscription service. Through "Cycling News" we will be able to send a newsletter and information directly to cyclists who subscribe on the internet. In addition, we are developing Bicycle User Groups in workplaces across Toronto. This will allow us to distribute cycling safety information more effectively.

The City remains committed to encouraging cycling and enhancing safety and we will continue to deliver and expand safety programs and infrastructure as resources permit. We are also interested in the responses from other agencies on recommendations that impact cycling safety in Toronto. For instance, we look forward to participating in the review of the Highway Traffic Act and to working with your Office on any other recommendations included in your report that will increase safety for cyclists.

Finally, we would also like to express our appreciation of the work your Office has undertaken to provide a fuller understanding of bicycle safety issues and in identifying measures to address them. We believe our collective aim of reducing the rate of cycling injuries and fatalities can be achieved through the efforts outlined above.

Yours truly,

__________________________ Paula M. Dill, Commissioner Urban Development Services

__________________________ B. H. Gutteridge, Commissioner Works and Emergency Services