Cycling lanes improve safety

Re: Two-wheeled killing machines, Lawrence Solomon, Dec. 8

In an article with many strange claims, the strangest is surely this: “cycling infrastructure actually increases accidents ...” Even a cursory look at the scientific literature suggests the claim is false. Consider the following: ❚ A 2009 paper published in the journal Environmental Health compared the risk to cyclists of riding in various places such as sidewalks, major roads, and routes with “bicycle facilities” such as bike lanes. Its conclusion: “The presence of bicycle facilities ... was associated with the lowest risk.” ❚ A 2012 study published in the American Journal of Public Health examined cyclists’ injury risks on a number of routes in Toronto and Vancouver. Conclusion: “Of 14 route types, cycle tracks had the lowest risk ... about one-ninth the risk of the reference: major streets with parked cars and no bike infrastructure.” ❚A 2 01 6 paper in t he American Journal of Public Health, “Safer Cycling Through Improved Infrastructure,” looked at American cycling and found that bike- network expansion is associated with a 25- to 75- per- cent decrease in the number of crashes and a 43to 79- per- cent reduction in fatalities and severe injuries.

None of this means bike lanes are infallible. But the science suggests that, on balance, cycling infrastructure makes our lives considerably safer.

Dr. Éric Notebaert, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment ( CAPE) board member, professor of medicine/ emergency physician, Mount Royal, Que.; and Kim Perrotta, CAPE executive director, Dundas, Ont.