Cyclist Confronts Toronto Re Street Safety
Wayne Scott has decided to take on the city of Toronto on behalf of those who rely on bicycles for their jobs. He’s taken his case to the Ontario Labour Relations Board, and claimed that Toronto’s streets constitute an unsafe workplace for those who cycle on the job.
Scott, who retired from the courier business about four years ago, is trying to force the city to study the dangers to cyclists on its roads and address the problems with better street design, enforcement of traffic rules and more bike lanes, and to do it all within two years. He claims the city has failed to apply the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that require employers to take reasonable precautions to protect their workers.
Last week, Toronto officials said they didn’t know how many employees use bikes on the job, but it’s probably quite a few. Among those who use bicycles on duty include police, EMS workers and bylaw officers, and they run essentially the same risk as any recreational cyclist or bike courier. Among the biggest problems include of having a car door opened suddenly in their path or being hit at an intersection.
Scott contends that a key reason for such risk is because the rules of the road are poorly enforced and the city is years behind on completing its own bike plan. He says the city tells people to ride bicycles in the city, but does nothing to protect them. He feels that, if the city is going to encourage more cycling, it should do more to make it safe.
The city’s 2001 bike plan called for 500 kilometres of bike lanes by 2011. Currently, there are only 112 kilometres of bike lanes in place, and the deadline is now 2012.
Tags: Ontario Labour Relations Board, road safety
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