As I have advocated in several cycling related threads I think all cyclists in Toronto should be tested, and licensed if they pass the exam. This would create jobs and income for the City not to mention education that is sorely lacking. Police would issue tickets for any infractions just the same as for vehicles. It's a jungle out there, some civility is needed and this might just help.
Today the Toronto Star published an article touching on this idea
The case for testing and licensing cyclists
Aug 15, 2009 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (15)
Peter Gorrie
Bikes improve the environment and the health of those who ride them: Once built they create no pollution. Pedalling is good exercise. Downtown, at least, they're the quickest, most convenient way to get around.
I've cycled throughout the city, including daily commutes, for 25 years, with only two accidents: On one occasion I was doored by the driver of a parked car; on the other, my front wheel got caught in the streetcar tracks where King St. angles into Queen. I avoided becoming road kill only because no traffic was coming up close behind.
So I'm all for making things easier, and safer, for cyclists. I take heart whenever I encounter bike traffic jams here. I'd love it if Toronto's streets were like Beijing's rivers of two-wheelers 20 years ago.
Still, cyclists increasingly piss me off. I'm getting, pardon the pun, cranky about those who weave in and out of traffic, ignore signs and, worst of all, zip along sidewalks.
It was bad enough recently that some advocates insisted cyclists be allowed to ignore stop signs. Their arguments centred on the terrible hardship of losing momentum.
The clincher came, though, when a 56-year-old woman was struck and killed by a teenager pedalling along a Scarborough sidewalk.
Teens and adults aren't supposed to ride on Toronto sidewalks, but there's a flaw in the bylaw covering the issue. Designed to let kids stay out of traffic, it allows bikes on sidewalks if their wheels are less than 61 centimetres in diameter.
"The bylaw is based on wheel size," the city says, "because it is difficult for police to enforce age-based bylaws, as most children do not carry identification."
But many bikes ridden by teens and adults, including folding and BMX models – and some electric-assist versions – are small enough to be sidewalk legal: That was apparently the situation with the 15-year-old who hit and killed the woman. On top of that, many on bigger bikes simply ignore the bylaw.
The fine for violating the rule is $90, which means the life-threatening practice is, if enforced at all, treated as a minor misdemeanour.
City officials are to study the bylaw this fall and recommend changes.
But even if they make sidewalks safer for pedestrians, that's just part of the picture. I've come to the view that once you hit your teens, cycling on any public thoroughfare is, just like operating a motor vehicle, a privilege, not a right. I realize this is anathema to a free-spirited breed, but cyclists should be tested and licensed, and expected to obey the rules of the road, just like any driver. Past age 12 they should not be on sidewalks – period.
This would offer cyclists a few benefits, including acceptance they're entitled to be on the road; permitted, for example, to take enough space to avoid being hit by drivers who pull out or open their door without looking.
Obviously, responsible riding would make cyclists safer, since weaving through traffic, barging across lanes, running stop signs, crossing laneway and driveway exits on sidewalks, and running into people are all dangerous. Licensing might improve the tracing of stolen bikes.
If cyclists want to be taken seriously they must take themselves seriously. In return, they should be entitled to routes that are as safe as possible. Motorists should expect, and respect, their place in the traffic scheme of things. The city should create better conditions for them, pushing its bike plan out of low gear and adding more exclusive cycling lanes.
Then, nervous riders shouldn't feel compelled to flee to the illusory safety of the sidewalk.
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