Many Ontarians want cycling as an option for their commute. Is it safe for Vaughan?

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 13, 2022

As York Region invests in public transportation infrastructure, cycling is quickly becoming a necessary piece of the puzzle.

The Greater Golden Horseshoe area is growing and the city of Vaughan, known for its car-centric attitude, will likely see a sea-change in the coming years.

According to York Region's 2022 Transportation Master Plan, trips by cycling and walking grew by 30 per cent between 2011 and 2016; as residents become less car dependent. Reasons for this include, but are not limited to, an aging population and fewer young people being able to afford vehicles.

“Car ownership is quite expensive. And it's a barrier to those who are low income,” said Alison Stewart, co-executive director of advocacy and public policy for CycleTO.

Besides poverty, a lack of adequate infrastructure leaves residents feeling unsafe while cycling. Investment into transitioning to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation method requires a change in thinking.

“Our biggest deterrent to people biking is a lack of safe infrastructure. And our biggest challenge to building safe cycling infrastructure is our cultural and political deference to car ownership,” said Stewart.

A transportation management association called pointA serving the north Toronto and Vaughan community is trying to make that change happen. PointA is trying to get employers on board with making more sustainable options available.

“Often in our work with workplaces, it's really about making commutes more sustainable by discouraging driving alone, by providing alternatives to that, whether that is cycling or walking, public transit, even remote work, or carpooling,” said Dorinda So, executive director of pointA.

She points out that a lot of people still use vehicles to get around in the region.

“Often, we kind of approach cycling in general from more of a recreational perspective, recognizing that not every major road and a lot of places don't have bike lanes, but also even from a transit perspective, they may not necessarily have the best access to transit,” added So.

According to the York Regional Police’s open data portal, there were 1,775 traffic collisions in Vaughan that resulted in personal injury between 2020 and 2022.

While few of these collisions involved cyclists, some are wary about the feasibility of cycling for the time being.

“I have actually been side-swiped in the suburbs by a fast-moving car that misjudged how fast he was going and knocked me over,” said Pauline Kwan, who used to cycle from her home in Richmond Hill to her workplace in Vaughan.

However, there is some recourse that cyclists can take in the event they are hit. They can apply through an active benefits system, according to Nainesh Kotak, founder of Kotak Law.

“If a cyclist is injured and involved in an accident where it was a motor vehicle, there are two types of claims that can be made. The first is a no-fault claim, commonly known as accidents through our accident benefit system,” Kotak said.

“And they would make that claim either through their own auto insurance, if they have one, or if they're dependent on someone, through theirs. And if they're not (insured), then they would make it under the driver who they are involved in the collision with. And those no-fault benefits would pay basic income replacement benefits up to $400 a week. They pay for a limited medical rehabilitation.”

Kotak suggests for cyclists to have as much evidence on hand as possible, like taking photos to prove time and conditions of the incident.

However, other times, such as when a municipality is at fault, may prove more difficult with the burden of evidence falling on the shoulder of the cyclist. A cyclist would have to prove active negligence rather than just a standard duty of care.

Still, some are suggesting a change in pace by reimagining roads may be in order.

“We can't manage people's behaviour. We've done a really bad job of doing that. So, by designing roads that force cars to follow the speed limits, to slow down, to be mindful of other road users, that is what will save lives,” said Stewart.