I am a transit driver and believe me when I tell you that cyclists are usually at fault as they have no regard for the law. In the many years that I have driven transit vehicles, I have only come across 1 cyclist who actually observed road rules. Infact some of them have even had the audacity to write in to transit and accuse us drivers of being aggressive and hostile, inspite of us being the people who have to watch out as we are considered professional drivers and hence even if we are not at fault, any accident is considered to be Preventable on our part. Further more, cyclists are looked at positively by the management of most major cities as they are seen as protecting the environment.

As a driver, cyclist and pedestrian I've observed there isn't a simple solution.

When cycling and getting up to speed it becomes very frustrating to continually have to stop then start up again at stop signs, especially when they're a block apart, red lights, etc. A lot of cyclists do this when they see no traffic requirement to stop. This is not intended as an excuse, simply the reality of cycling. Many drivers are also courteous enough to recognize this and will allow the cyclists through even though they have the priority at the intersection.

Politicians keep touting cycling in European countries. One thing they ignore is the general lack of stop signs in those countries (roundabouts and yield signs are the norm) which is far more cyclist and car friendly.

Many cyclists are unaware of the turn radius of trucks, a deadly ignorance.

Drivers are notorious for driving too close to cyclists as they pass. When I educated a motorist about having just done that their answer was that it was either that or come to close to the car in the next lane. I guess their car was more important than risking injuring a cyclist. A minimum 1 meter distance (a good NY state law) is an excellent idea.

Then there's the issue of motorists seeing and not mentally processing cyclists (and pedestrians) particularly on left turns. They see the cyclist yet it's so small compared to their vehicle they don't perceive the danger in order to yield. There have been studies done on this issue.

Toronto pedestrians are amongst the most dangerous I've ever seen anywhere. They routinely walk onto the road treating it as a giant pedestrian crossing. Unfortunately the motorists and cyclists are automatically charged even if not at fault.

To summarize, the best form of driver training should include cycling and walking with traffic around in order to better understand what's on the road. Ditto for cyclists. As for pedestrians, regular ticketing blitzes and education might help curb this dangerous Toronto habit.

I heard your argument with John Moore this morning and I can only say this: My car insurance keeps going up because of the idiots that cannot or will not drive properly according to law.
We need the cyclists to start taking some responsibility for their actions, and yes, the majority of cyclists will end up spending more money to follow the laws.
If you are a cyclist riding next to a big truck, take responsibility and stop to let the truck pass before you move on.
Safety first!
Should we start having cyclists pay insurance to ride their bicycles on city streets?

Listening to Jerry, I sometimes forget if I have tuned in to AM1010 or to a certain Floridian windbag. Take his attempt to blame Rodney King for LA riots yesterday...not a word against the brutal beating he got despite providing no resistance or the fact that the cops got off scot free...he was trying to equate that incidence with acquittal of OJ...a typical KKK tactic of blaming the victim for wrongdoing and when confronted, dig something against the aggrived party. Jerry...some things are just wrong and there is no moral equivalence for them.

The road is shared by cyclists and motorists. Let's look at Holland and Denmark for cyclist and cars coexisting. Roads are not designed in canada to accomodate a car and a cyclist in the same lane. I was a victim of a bad cycling accident in Halton being hit from behind by a car driving at 70 KM/H. Had the lane been wider would the car have driven by? Cars should treat the cyclist as another vehicle and cyclists should be cognisant that if they hold up traffic to pull over and let the cars by if they cannot pass safely i.e no passing lane or double line. But in order to be recognised as another vehicle the cyclist must act like one as well. Re the helmet issue: Without my helmet I would be dead. Instead I broke by back and sternum. I am in favour of mandating helmets. Too often I see kids without helmets.