My friend Margaret (who is on the Toronto Cycling Committee) seems to be a natural at letter-writing...
I was reading a great letter-to-the-editor about the dangers of cyclist inexperience and inattentive truck drivers in the paper on Friday, and it turns out it was by Margaret!
Cyclists need safer streets
Recent deaths may have been prevented with use of side guards and blind-spot sensors on trucks
I can attest to the shocking trauma of being bowled over by a right-turning truck (with no signal or indication of any kind). Lucky for me, traffic was stopped and it all happened slowly enough that I had time to roll out from under the back wheels before being squashed to death. Had there been a truck side guard present, as are used across Europe and in an increasing number of states in the U.S., perhaps my bicycle might also have been saved. As it was, my ride was sucked up into the undercarriage and dragged along the asphalt for about 50 metres before the driver even realized what he'd done.
The cyclist deaths I've been reading about of late all seem to have happened in a similar manner, only at a faster pace and without that precious time for reaction. While collisions such as these may not be fully preventable (though with proper education of both cyclists and drivers, they could be reduced), there is no need for them to be consistently fatal.
In both of last week's cyclist/truck collisions, death may have been prevented through the use of side guards and/or sensor technology for monitoring drivers' blind spots. Rather than being hopelessly crushed under the back end as the truck completes its turn, the fallen is pushed to the side and the back wheels pass on by. Injured? I'm sure. Dead? Maybe not.
In my case, it was inexperience that had me up beside that truck; a place I've never put myself again. Regardless, the driver was charged, as it was he who turned with no signal, endangering everyone in the vicinity and generally diminishing the sense of order that keeps us all safe on shared roadways. I now know better than to ride anywhere near a truck (or taxi) but there was nothing illegal about my positioning, and it would have been a pretty tough lesson to learn, had I died.
There is technology already in existence and proven effective (side guards, blind-spot sensors and alarms) to help prevent this kind of thing from happening, or to at least diminish the impact when it does. Had that been my 16-year-old daughter, or my father or professor who died last week, I'd be asking why these weren't in use, especially since they were officially endorsed by a coroner's report nearly 10 years ago.
As more and more (often inexperienced) cyclists take to Toronto's streets, more provisions need to be made to ensure their safety.
In turn, the safer a cycling environment we create, the more folks will be enticed to leave their car at home and join me for the ride.
Margaret Hastings-James, Toronto
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