Biking in Toronto

Biking is great for the mind, body, traffic, and the environment, but today I am feeling a little worried. Michael Bryant's car and Darcy Allan Sheppard a bike courier had a terrible encounter on the evening of August 31 that left Sheppard dead and Bryant's future tarnished. Whoever was responsible for this specific incident (Toronto Star), the frightening thing to me is that there are a lot more drivers out there that have less incentive to avoid hitting bikes than Michael Bryant. Michael Bryant has already resigned his position as CEO of Invest Toronto and will face serious political costs in addition to the potential criminal penalties that all drivers would face for driving dangerously. An example of someone with lots of rage, this off-duty police officer Darius Tierman:



I wonder about the road rage that we carry around with us when we are behind the wheel of a car. Inside the steel car cage we get aggressive, always in a hurry or trying to beat the guy in front of us.

Even if a driver would not actually run down a cyclist in cold-blood, the driver`s reaction times might be delayed because of a perceived slight by a cyclist.

So...saying all of that I set off for downtown Toronto equipped with helmet and courage. Here are some sites for bike advocacy, the Toronto Cyclist Union and a potential Cyclists' Bill of Rights.

Toronto's guide to biking. Don't mess with trucks.