Mark Mitchell: Opportunities for road safety education and engagement

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      June 12 would have been my sister’s 36th birthday. I say would have been, because five years ago, she was killed by a dump truck while cycling to work in London. I am telling you about this not because I am looking for sympathy—many other readers have lost loved ones to many different causes—but because I have learned some valuable lessons from her loss.

      What have I learned? First, that a small group of people, with a specific focus, can make a real difference with a well-thought out and planned campaign. My family members and some friends set up the “See Me Save Me” campaign in the U.K. to try to address the fact that big trucks have blind spots and simply cannot see other road users in many situations. The campaign took us to the European Parliament, where we persuaded a majority of members of the European Parliament to support a call for change in the law. We worked with the mayor of London, with parliamentarians across the U.K., and as a result of that work, changes to big truck design in Europe are now being discussed. To be clear, those changes don’t just benefit cyclists—they also benefit pedestrians and other road users.

      Second, most road users do not want to be “bad road users”. Rather, most road users want to be safe, and want other road users to be safe. That means that they are open to learning how they can be better cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians, if they are given the opportunity to do so. There will always be selfish road users of all persuasion—but if we focus on helping those who want to do better, then we can make our roads safer to everyone.

      Third, education and cooperation are far better ways of achieving change than argument and confrontation. We all use the road—whether as car drivers, as cyclists, as pedestrians, as large truck drivers, as bus drivers, and as passengers. Our campaign arranged for large truck drivers to spend 20 minutes riding a bike, and for cyclists to sit in the cab of a large truck for a journey. In each case, those road users learned through that experience, and thought more about how to change their behaviour. Education is often more effective than laws and regulations in changing how we all act.

      So what would I like to see? First, I think that more education for all road users should be made available in Vancouver. Examples include spending more time teaching kids in school the rules of the road and how to ride a bike safely. Safe cycling and safe road use courses should be offered through our community centres, so that new residents of Vancouver and those who want to know more have the opportunity to learn. Both VPD and ICBC could be asked if they can assist with such programs, and I am sure that there are volunteers across the city who would be prepared to help out.

      Second, let’s each take a few moments to think about our own road-use and what modifications we could make. Three seconds checking your phone, not paying attention, or rushing to make a light—what could be the impact on others?

      Third, take the time to engage. Every cyclist knows car users. Every pedestrian knows someone who rides a bike. Every skateboarder and roller-blader has friends who drive. Talk to your friends and neighbors about their experiences—because when we talk to each other, when we learn from each other, we can all be better road users.

      Comments

      3 Comments

      Rob Robertson (no relation to Moonbeam)

      Jun 10, 2014 at 5:30pm

      And, all commuter cyclists operating in downtown should be licensed, pay insurance and pay to lock up/park, just like EVERY other vehicle on the road. Level playing field. Knowing the rules of the road/laws should not be "optional" for cyclists.

      Legal penalties for cycling violations should match those for equivalent car infractions (ie, same fine/points for no helmet as driver with no seatbelt, running red lights stop sign SAME fine for cars/bicycles etc).

      Stringently go after dangerous (to pedestrians, wheelchairs, baby carriages etc) cyclists who arrogantly insist on sidewalk riding (often even if there is a million$ separated bike lane mere meters away).

      Level playing field. That's all the majority want.(and that DOES NOT mean more traffic choking multi million $ bike lanes). Bike can and should be safely operated on the road. Cars don't get special lanes, big trucks don't, motorcycles don't...cyclists should not either . If cyclists actually obeyed the laws, they would be in FAR less danger.

      Chris

      Jun 10, 2014 at 8:21pm

      No mention of infrastructure? How can anyone expect to take you seriously when you don't mention that the most important thing to keep cyclists safe is separated bike infrastructure.

      David Wallace, AKA Traffic Safety Guy

      Jun 11, 2014 at 4:05am

      Mark, thank you for sharing and I completely agree with you - it will take all of us working together, talking about road safety and bicycle safety and pedestrian safety to raise the bar. Working together we can all be life savers. Keep up the great work, and keep the discussion going.