Bike Windsor-Essex, which has long advocated for better cycling infrastructure in Windsor, is disappointed with city council's response to a city-wide road safety audit.
The audit shows there were 66 collisions involving cyclists last year at Windsor intersections. There were 89 involving pedestrians including one fatality.
The most dangerous intersection for cyclists was Lauzon Pkwy and Tecumseh Rd. E.
While councillors signed off on signs encouraging cyclists to dismount and walk their bikes across the road, and signs pointing them to existing trails in the area, they decided to hold off on other measures like changing signal timing so both cyclists and pedestrians can get across the road safely before the light changes.
Emergency vehicles at Wyandotte St E and Marentette in Windsor after a cyclist was hit by a car. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
Many of the recommendations made in the audit will have to wait until the release of the Active Transportation Master Plan and a new council.
"That's just a long wait when you've got collisions happening, and you've got pedestrians and cyclists being hurt, and we know it because we have the data," says Bike Windsor-Essex Executive Director Lori Newton. "We understand that the long-term measures where you have to change roads will be referred to the Active Transportation Plan, but there are short-term measures like the paint in the intersections that we'd really like to see now."
Mayor Drew Dilkens defends the decision to hold off on changes like raised cycle tracks for the next council. He is asking cyclists, and all Windsor residents to be patient.
"We're talking about systems that have been in place, and infrastructure that's been in place for a long, long time," he says. "This will take decades to be able to fix the entire city."
Councillor Paul Borelli again suggested that cyclists should be allowed to ride on the sidewalk in some areas, but Newton says that will not improve safety.
"I thought that the consultant was pretty clear that when you put a cyclist on a sidewalk... it doesn't really work," she says. "When you get to intersections, which is everytime you cross the road, just as the consultant was mentioning, you are creating an opportunity for a collision because the cars are not expecting you. The cars are looking for someone coming at a pedestrian rate of speed, and the bicycles are going much much faster. So, sidewalks are a really really poor idea."
- With files from Mark Brown
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