Bicycle Collisions: What To Do

CANADA - Some of the info below pertains to Toronto. If you live elsewhere please consult your local municipality websites with respect to cyclists.

Report the crash at the scene. Have someone call "911" or if you live in Toronto call the police non-emergency number (416-808-2222). Wait for police to arrive.

Ask witnesses to identify themselves.

If a motor vehicle is involved, record the driver's name, phone number, insurance policy details, a description of the vehicle and the license plate number.

If you are injured at all, see a doctor. Ask for a letter describing your condition.

If your bike needs repair, get a written estimate from a bike shop.

If you have insurance, speak to your broker. If not, call the insurance company of the driver(s) involved in the crash.

If you have no access to insurance, contact the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund at 1-800-268-7188.

Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC) can refer you to a lawyer for advice on making an insurance claim. E-mail: arc@respect.to or phone: 416-604-5171.

Do not leave the scene of a collision without talking to the other driver, pedestrian or cyclist involved. 'Hit and run' applies to cyclists as well as drivers. If you choose not to report the crash at the scene, you can file a report at the nearest police station within 24 hours or call 416-808-2222. Cyclists do not have go to a Collision Reporting Centre. Take responsibility for assisting other crash victims by helping them follow the steps above.

In other news...

Less women ride bicycles than men in North America and Australia, according to two separate studies by Rutgers University in New Jersey and Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. According to the studies approx. 30% of cyclists are women.

According to surveys many women are worried about accidents and getting a "door prize" and the fear of cycling accidents is listed as a major reason.

Malena Andrade, a website designer, experienced her first "door prize" a couple of years ago in Toronto's club district when a group of girls exiting a cab opened the door without looking. Andrade's bike was hit so hard the front wheel warped but fortunately did not taco.

Andrade brushed herself off and managed to cycle home. When she took her wheel to get fixed, she learned about her legal rights as a cyclist.

Female cyclists in Toronto looking to hang out (and eat cupcakes) are recommended to check out cupcakeride.com. Its a Toronto girls only riding group who meet regularly to swap stories and eat cupcakes.

Toronto police looking for witnesses in hit-and-run

CANADA - Toronto police have a man in custody following a hit-and-run collision that left a cyclist with life-threatening head injuries. The incident happened yesterday (June 4th) when a dark-coloured van struck a 35-year-old male cyclist and left him lying on King St. W., just east of Dufferin St., at around 3 AM.

A taxi driver spotted the victim and called for help. The cyclist was taken to hospital with life-threatening head injuries. Doctors have since been able to stabilize the man’s condition, but his injuries are still considered severe.

Police found a dark-coloured van which matched the desciption and took a man into custody later yesterday morning. The van had significant damage to its front end and a cracked windshield.

Its believed the cyclist was not wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. He was hit so hard he hit the windshield of the van, hurtled through the air and landed in a crumpled heap.

Police are appealing for witnesses to call them at 416-808-1900.

Internal Motor: Hoax or Real?

TECHNOLOGY - There's a new internal motor you can get for your bicycle if you're interested in having motor assistance for your bicycle, especially those hard rides uphill... but its also causing a stir of rumours in the sporting world because there's a video on YouTube which alleges the Swiss champion Fabian Cancellara may have been cheating in recent races.



So far Fabian Cancellara has won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in 2010, but according to an Italian YouTube video (conspiracy theorist type stuff) he may have been using a tiny motor which rests inside the bicycle frame and bottom bracket.

"In fact, it’s pretty funny but it is such a big story that it’s no longer the case," says Fabian Cancellara. "It’s a sad story and really outrageous. Don’t worry my accomplishments are the result of hard work."

"I don’t see an advantage for a guy like Cancellara cheating this way," says Vincent Jourdain, coach of the Canadian national road team. "Can you imagine if he got caught and was found using a motorized bike? I’m not saying that no one would ever try it, but there’s way too much to lose. Maybe I’m wrong. Who knows? But he’s a real specimen on the bike. He doesn’t need a bike like that."

Now that this story has come out it means the UCI might have to change the way they inspect bikes before and after races, checking inside the frame and weighing the bicycle. If the technology is now there it means some cyclists might try to use it.

29-year-old Fabian Cancellara has been winning races since 1998. He is a three-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist (Beijing 2008). He's been performing feats of speed and endurance for years now, earning him the nickname 'the Swiss Spartacus'.

The motor technology is real, but the idea that Fabian Cancellara would cheat is pure hoax and more likely to be the result of Italian rivalry with the Swiss.

Degreasing your Bicycle Chain

Bicycle chains turn black over time as the chain lube collects dirt and grit while riding or locked up outside. This is unfortunate and affects the performance of your bicycle. Grit stuck to your chain wears down your drive train parts and needs to be cleaned once or twice a year.

Without maintenance you will begin to notice your bicycle doesn't shift gears properly, pedalling is sluggish, you have to work harder and you may have to replace parts faster due to wear. Thus yearly maintenance of both the chain and gear cassettes is a necessity, especially if you're storing your bicycle outside where its more likely to collect extra grit.

THE QUICK WAY

STEP ONE

Even if you're not meticulous about the maintenance of your bicycle, you will know when it is time to degrease the chain and clean the drive train. The speed of your bicycle will be affected, and you will hear grit grinding on metal. Ignore the warning signs and you will have to replace everything that makes your bicycle move -- the chain, chain rings, cassette and rear derailleur. All of that is completely avoidable.

At least once a year, and in some cases twice, you should remove all of the parts from the bicycle for a complete cleaning (or have a mechanic do it). You can get by with a quick degreasing a few times a year if needed.

STEP TWO

A quick degreasing of the drive train entails using a chain scrubber, a degreasing solution and a cassette brush. The chain scrubber will have a reservoir in the bottom. Fill the reservoir with degreasing solution and close the chain in the tool. The tool rests on bicycle's chain stay as the chain moves through it.

The brushes (and, in some cases, brushes and sponges) will pick up the solution from the reservoir and use to scrub the chain as it runs through the tool. The grit will fall to the bottom of the reservoir as the chain is cleaned.

STEP THREE

When the chain appears to be nearly clean, remove it from the tool. Take the cassette brush and run it through the cassette as the free wheel turns. This will loosen grit and grime in the cassette. Take a clean towel or rag and run the chain through the rag to remove the degreaser and grime. You could and should take a towel and wipe the chain rings of excess grit and grime.

The last step is to apply a light Teflon-based oil or lubricant to the chain. Run the chain as you apply the lube. Remove any excess with a towel. The chain should be very lightly oiled; anything other than that makes for grit and dirt.

THE PROPER THOROUGH WAY

STEP ONE

The first process is to use a chain breaker and remove it from the bicycle. Soak the chain in degreaser for a short period of time. Use a cassette brush to scrub the grit and grime that has not come off in the degreaser. Run through clean water to remove the grit and degreaser. Degrease and scrub again if needed. Dry with a clean towel to remove the water when complete.

STEP TWO

Next remove the wheel and cassette. This is accomplished with a cassette locking tool and chain whip. The links of the chain whip are threaded into the cassette to use as resistance so the cassette locking tool can remove the cassette. Once the cassette is removed, it should be soaked in degreaser for a short period of time The cassette should then be scrubbed, washed in watter and dried like the chain. Return the cassette to the free wheel hub, but apply a light amount of grease to the hub. Reverse the process with the cassette locking tool and wrench.

STEP THREE

You can manage the chain rings one of two ways: First, you can use degreaser and a towel and clean the teeth until you're satisfied. Or you can remove the crank, soak the chain rings and then clean them. This is the same process employed in removal and reassembly, but you will need to use a lock ring wrench or bottom bracket tool to remove the crank.


STEP FOUR

The last step is to reattach the chain, or to install a new one. Reattaching is simply threading the chain through cogs and deraileurs before using the chain breaker to join the two ends. Installing a new chain involves measuring the chain and cutting it to the correct size.

NOTE: Some cyclists like to keep an extra chain or two in degreasing solution ready to go whenever they want to swap out chains.

Should Cyclists have a 3-foot buffer zone?

CANADA - Ontario MPP Cheri DiNovo is proposing to give cyclists a wider birth, wanting to make it illegal for motorists to drive within 3 feet of a cyclist when passing them.

The private member's bill was introduced yesterday in Queen's Park and is proposing hefty fines for motorists who fail to give cyclists a reasonable amount of space.

“Leaving three feet while passing would go a long way in making the roads safer for cyclists,” DiNovo said. “This bill would serve as another reminder to share the road while encouraging people to ride their bike.”

Under the proposed amendment to the Highway Traffic Act, motorists would have to give cyclists a berth of three feet when travelling under 50 km/h (the speed limit on most city streets), four feet for speeds between 50 km/h and 80 km/h and five feet for over 80 km/h.

Fines of between $310 and $750 would be imposed on people who ignore the law.

A recent accident near Montreal might have been prevented if such a law had been in place. Three cyclists were killed and three others injured when a truck hit the group of triathlon athletes.

There is also a 2004 Toronto study that found passing motorists was the leading killer of cyclists and the second leading cause of collisions with bikes.

The problem right now is there is no defined space allowed to cyclists. The laws are quite vague, leaving it up to the cyclist how much room they require to feel safe. But motorists (some of whom believe cyclists shouldn't even be on the road) often ignore cyclist buffer zones because they either don't know about the laws concerning cyclists or don't care.

#1. A bicycle is a vehicle under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, thus a cyclist has the right to use the road and should be treated with equal respect as other vehicles.

#2. Cyclists must stay on the right side of the lane, but maintain a distance from the curb, parked cars, potholes and obstacles so as to maintain a straight line. A cyclist may occupy any part of a lane when their safety warrants it. (Note: A cyclist can move into a left lane if they need to turn left at an intersection.)

Thus a cyclist can take up as much or as little of a lane as they feel necessary to ensure their personal safety.

However this doesn't always fly with motorists, due to any number of reasons (road rage, bad day at work, lack of respect for cyclists, etc.) and thus the need for a specific buffer zone of 3 feet or more is a pretty good idea. The current vagueness of the law leaves the distance between the cyclist and the curb up to the personal discretion of the cyclist, but there is no law dictating the distance required between a motorist and a cyclist.

Right now its up to the motorist to decide, which means many motorists can simply choose to ignore the safety of the cyclist.

Toronto Cycling Committee Newsletter

CANADA - Cyclometer (toronto.ca/cycling/cyclometer/) is Toronto's Cycling Committee Newsletter and has been growing strong since 1993. I recommend subscribing to it for monthly news on what is happening in Toronto's cycling infrastructure and events.

Toronto needs more Bicycle Racks

CANADA - Toronto is experiencing a cycling renaissance.

I am not kidding. Just ask your local Toronto bike shop and they can confirm that new bikes are flying off the shelves, business has never been better and they are desperate for sales staff and experienced bicycle mechanics.

And if you go downtown on a work day the chances are likely you will have difficulty finding a spot to lock up your bicycle. Its been happening regularly to me lately that I can't find a spot to lock up easily so I asked a few friends and they all responded with the same assessment: Toronto needs more Bicycle Racks.

However getting funding to install more on a large scale is tricky at times, because it means Toronto's City Council will have to find the funding somewhere.

Daniel Egan runs pedestrian and cycling infrastructure for the City of Toronto.

I recommend concerned cyclists contact him and encourage more funding for bicycle racks. There are huge gaps on major streets (even Yonge Street) where there are no racks at all and bikes are locked to trees, street signs, gas pipes, etc. Contact Daniel Egan or some of his staff at:

Pedestrian and Cycling Infrastructure
Transportation Services Division
22 East, City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, M5H 2N2
Email: bikeplan@toronto.ca
Tel: 416-392-9253
Fax: 416-392-4808

In May 2009 Toronto opened a $300,000, 180-bike indoor Bicycle Station at Union Station, a major regional transit hub. The city plans to add a 400-spot station at Toronto city hall and more stations at subway stops. Bikes are stored in two-tiered racks.

Apart from parking, the first Bicycle Station "includes a change room, a mechanic stand and a variety of tools for customer use as well as a vending machine with emergency bike necessities such as tubes, tire levers, patch kits, energy bars and refreshing beverages," according to the city of Toronto website. "Security measures include a 'man-trap' door system to prevent people following others into the station, 24-hour video surveillance, as well as staffed hours during the day." Users pay $25 for "lifetime membership" and then extra fees for parking. Toronto didn't invent parking stations. Other cities have been doing this for years.

The extra parking at City Hall and subway stations is a start. Ideally Toronto could create more smaller versions of this around the city. Say a tenth the size, but build ten of them near major intersections that are frequently trafficked by cyclists. And then survey bike shops to determine the rate at which Torontonians are buying new bicycle (a Bicycle Consumer Rate) and then use that rate to dictate what percentage the city should contribute to new bicycle racks in the future in an effort to keep pace. (The same rate could also help determine need for bicycle lanes.)

After all we don't want to reach the point that Japan has reached and we need to take extreme measures. See Bicycle Parking in Japan.

Or alternatively just be more proactive about street "accoutrements". ie. I feel the city could also use more benches to sit on, more greenery, trees, potted plants, lamp posts and drinking fountains. After all why should Yonge, University and Bloor be the only streets which receive the red carpet treatment? Would it be that hard to create stainless steel benches that has a bike rack built into the rear? Or lamp posts with bike racks at the base? No, not hard at all.

I am sure with a bit of ingenuity we can come up with designs which are beautiful and functional.