Collision risk high where bike lanes end

Above is a map created using City of Ottawa data showing the number of cyclist-vehicle collisions that took place between 2006 and 2008 at the top seven intersections for such incidents.

Busy intersections where bike lanes abruptly end are among the sites where Ottawa cyclists and vehicles collide.

The City of Ottawa's list of top intersections forbicycle-vehicle collisions shows that most are high-traffic locations complicated by multiple streets intersecting or bike paths ending.

"So that it's not a clear-cut left or right," said Michael Powell, chair of the city's roads and cycling advisory committee. "When you have lots of people making lots of decisions very quickly, it lends itself to a situation where accidents happen."

Last Wednesday, Melanie Harris, 34, was killed when she was hit by an Outaouais transit bus on Sussex Drive in Ottawa, an area where bikes move from a separated bike lane to one shared with buses.

The end of bike lanes are a particular problem because they force cyclists who had been separated from cars back into traffic, Powell said.

That change creates safety issues that he believes can be solved by improving infrastructure, but there is another element as well.

"When there's that change in comfort levels, it discourages people from getting out on their bikes and staying out on their bikes."

Focusing on gaps

Powell said the committee is focusing on gaps in the city's cycling infrastructure. In some cases, the answer could be adding a bike lane, Powell said, adding that the city is considering one for the Pretoria Bridge.

In other cases, the traffic may be too fast, and it may be better to divert cyclists to another route, he said.

The city's 2008 cycling plan provides a blueprint for such changes at a cost of $26 million over five years, or a little over $5 million a year. Powell said last year the city ended up committing "not nearly that much," citing budget constraints.

One of the high-traffic intersections where a bike lane ends abruptly is at Maitland Avenue, near the Queensway, where there were six cyclist-vehicle collisions between 2006 and 2008.

Derek Neimor was among the cyclistsin the areaTuesday afternoon, and admitted it has challenges.

"Where there's no real bike lane going up over the bridge, there's the on-ramp for Queensway where people aren't necessarily paying attention to bikes," he said. "They're just looking where they're going, most likely just speeding up before they go onto the on-ramps."

Another cyclist passing through the intersection said the end of the bike path that directs cyclists onto the road is a factor as well.

"People aren't expecting a bike to come out of nowhere," he said.