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You really shouldn't be riding at night without lights. I see lots of people doing it though.

Even as a cyclist, I've had close calls with other cyclists at night. If I didn't have a light I would not have seen their reflectors.
Is it illegal to use flashing blue/red bicycle lights?

Information on cycling lights...
 
That's why we need to make sure people drive slowly!

Agreed, but to clarify the problem a little - people in black are often invisible, even when the driver is stationary at a stop light or stop sign, or about to pull away from the curb.

No amount of slowing down will change that.

- Paul
 
Interesting that while I've seen police officers wearing yellow vests, they use "invisible" police cars.

image.jpg
From link.

TORONTO-POLICE-CAR-AT-NIGHT-3-co-DRN.jpg
From link.
 
Is it illegal to use flashing blue/red bicycle lights?

Information on cycling lights...
Our HTA Section 62(17) governs lights on bicycles. White or amber on the front, red on the rear, but a red reflector is still legally sufficient and the red rear light can be flashing. It would be up to a court but I doubt you could be tagged for a rear light that flashes red and blue because that restriction applies to "motor vehicles" which a bicycle is not.

Interesting that while I've seen police officers wearing yellow vests, they use "invisible" police cars.

image.jpg
From link.

TORONTO-POLICE-CAR-AT-NIGHT-3-co-DRN.jpg
From link.

How is that "invisible"? All the markings are retro-reflective nd there are flashing lights on the roof.

Ps - I don't think those folks are cops, but I get your point.
 
How is that "invisible"? All the markings are retro-reflective nd there are flashing lights on the roof.

I assume this was a reference to the overall colour being low visibility; but perhaps he was meaning to show one of the stealth vehicles that was used for awhile for speed traps and such.

Ps - I don't think those folks are cops, but I get your point.

They're Toronto By-Law Officers
 
While we are far from where we need to be, it appears some Vision Zero investments may be beginning to pay a dividend. Premature to draw any firm conclusions, but road fatalities and specifically pedestrian fatalities were down substantially in 2022 (as at Dec 23rd)

 
^ I could only find the list of the 20 pedestrian fatalities on the TPS web site, and not the more meaningful set of 77 Killed/Serious Injury incidents.

The KSI number gets less attention but in my view needs to be part of the picture for analysis - because incidents that lead to life-changing injury are likely to share many of the same causal factors as fatalities. And in many ways, are just as important to eliminate.

However, since the 20 fatalities are a serious matter enough - it's worth noting the locations. I was struck by the number that are on major streets.

- Paul

Screen Shot 2022-12-29 at 11.45.44 AM.png
 
- it's worth noting the locations. I was struck by the number that are on major streets.

- Paul

I'm surprised that you're surprised by that.

I would argue that's a function of :

1) Volume, there are simply many more cars on major streets than minor ones, indeed, there are also likely to be more pedestrians too, even on comparatively pedestrian unfriendly suburban thoroughfares.

2) Vehicle speed, likely faster on wider roads

3) You'll note many of the problems occur at intersections, with the single most common being associated with left-hand turns I believe. This occurs because many cars advance into the intersection with the anticipation of making a left,
then find they have increasingly little, or no green time left and have to move before they end up in the way of perpendicular traffic. The sense of pressure to make a move, sometimes with motorists honking in behind, while pedestrians may still be in the intersection, and having to track much more data as a driver (more lanes of traffic) and do so over a larger area that may not be entirely within your field of vision. Even right-hand turns can be an issue as you potentially have traffic coming from the left, someone impatient behind you, pedestrians in at least one crosswalk etc.

4) Wide crossing distances for pedestrians lead to greater likihood of being missed by a motorist, of missing conflicting traffic yourself, of dropping an item, tripping etc. which may make you invisible for a moment if below the hood-view of a car.

5) Lots more trucks, which tend to have greater difficulty seeing pedestrians or cyclists up close.
 
While we are far from where we need to be, it appears some Vision Zero investments may be beginning to pay a dividend. Premature to draw any firm conclusions, but road fatalities and specifically pedestrian fatalities were down substantially in 2022 (as at Dec 23rd)

I didn't read the article but with all the WFH, aren't there way less pedestrians to hit? I wonder on a pedestrian per capita basis what the change is?
 
I didn't read the article but with all the WFH, aren't there way less pedestrians to hit? I wonder on a pedestrian per capita basis what the change is?

An interesting question, the answer to which requires data I currently lack.

Though, my instinct would be 'no'.

Reasons: Population growth; WFH is much of an upper/upper-middle income phenomenon and relatively downtown centric, while far more fatalities occur in more suburban areas; transit ridership remains down vs pre-covid, with some of that traffic shifting to cars and some some to active transportation (walking/cycling). All of that, however, is mere conjecture on my part, pending actual data.
 
I didn't read the article but with all the WFH, aren't there way less pedestrians to hit? I wonder on a pedestrian per capita basis what the change is?
One could probably make the case that there are maybe MORE pedestrians wandering around as those WFH can (and tend to) go out for walks etc. Just more likely to do so near their homes than near their offices. I have never seen any 'pedestrian count' figures for Toronto locations (though have for London (UK) a few years ago.)
 
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One could probably make the case that there are maybe MORE pedestrians wandering around as those WFH can (and tend to) go out for walks etc. Just more likely to do so near their homes than near their offices. I have never seen any 'pedestrian count' figures for Toronto locations (though have for London (UK) a few years ago.
I have a few co-workers who have remarked that they get home on Sunday and don't leave until the following Saturday. Although those comments are from the suburbs, it wouldn't surprise me if that was replicated across a significant part of the population regardless of where they live. Who knows, just a thought.
 

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