From: john@chance.gts.org (John R MacMillan)
Subject: Re: Interesting facts about bicycles in Ontario (from MoT)
Organization: Reverse - esreveR :noitazinagrO
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 12:50:58 GMT

|>There are more than 3 million bicycles and 2 million cyclists in Ontario.
|
|...not one of which must be checked for roadworthiness at any time.

Let's face it, the modes of failure for a non-roadworthy bicycle are
much less spectacular than that of a car, and there's much less to be
not roadworthy.  I've seen many more cars on the road that appeared
not to be roadworthy than bicycles.

|>6% of Ontarians (460,000) over the age of 15 use bicycles for primary
|>transportation.
|
|Not one of whom is tested for knowing the rules of the road on a bicycle,
|or knowing the safe way to drive on a road which also has cars on it.

I'd say the vast majority over age 15 also have drivers licenses, so
have indeed been tested for basic rules of the road.

|>Bicycles are legally vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA).
|
|... which explains why so many of them are driven on sidewalks and between
|lanes of cars...

Actually, since a bicycle is not entitled to a complete lane, but is a
vehicle, there are times it should be between the lanes: eg, turning
left from a four lane road, the bicycle should be at the right of the
left lane.  As for sidewalks, I think you're exaggerating the
proportion of cyclist-miles spent there.  Do you have any figures?
No?  Yawn.

|>Safety equipment (e.g. lights, brakes and horns) and operating procedures
|>for bicycles are mandated by legislation.
|
|...such legistlation being rarely heeded and never enforced...

So complain to the police about enforcment, don't complain about
bicycles.

|>Studies indicate that bicycle helmets can reduce cycle related fatalities
|>by 75% and head injuries by 85%.
|
|A little knowledge of the rules of the HTA, required as a requisite for
|driving bicycles on major roads, wouldn't hurt either.

As I said, most cyclists over the age of 15 have ``a little knowledge
of the rules of the HTA''.  Do you have any supporting evidence.

|>6% of Ontario individuals use the bicycle as their primary means of
|>transportation and save an estimated 156 million litres of oil a year or
|>$78 million.
|
|I see. That's how much they save compared to taking public transit? I'd
|like to know how this "savings" is calculated.

Me too, but I doubt that no matter how it's calculated it would
completely eliminate the savings.  No matter how many people you put
on a bus it's burning diesel; the same number of people on bicycles
are not.

|>The bicycle industry and related tourist activities contribute more than
|>$150 million a year to the Ontario economy.
|
|Which would be spent elsewhere in the economy if it wasn't spent here. Yawn.

Not necessarily true.  If Canada were cyclist-hostile, people who come
to Canada for cycling vacations would go elsewhere for them.  If I
didn't own a bicycle, I would not have spent that money elsewhere.

|>In the audience for the press conference were two Metro Toronto Police
|>officers from the bicycle squad, complete with bicycle shorts, night-stick
|>and gun.
|
|How quaint. At least bicycles don't shit on the road like horses do.

At least none of bicycles, horses, or bicycle cops shit on the people
trying to cycle.
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles