Pandemic may have contributed to rise in cycling injuries: shop owners
“Infrastructure can’t keep up, and if it was already in need of some improvement before it’s certainly going to take time to catch up to the needs of more people out riding.”
Hank Hansen
Bike shop manager
Several members of the Calgary cycling community say they believe increased ridership could be driving an increase in bike-related injuries in Alberta between 2020 and 2021.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) released data showing that between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, the number of hospitalizations for cycling injuries in Alberta jumped to 813 from 595, a 37 per cent increase over the previous year.
During the same time period, the number of emergency-room visits for cycling injuries rose to nearly 13,000, up from 8,734.
Hank Hansen, bike shop manager at Two Wheel View, said he hasn’t heard of or seen an increase in the number of reported injuries or bike accidents locally. He said the jump in hospitalizations could stem from more people riding bikes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From the early days of the pandemic up until now, there’s been a real increased interest in cycling, both for recreation and for transportation purposes,” said Hansen. “I imagine that the numbers in terms of accidents are probably in pretty close proportion to an increased number of people that are out cycling.”
The CIHI data shows that the increase in injuries was not specific to Alberta — across Canada, hospitalizations from cycling injuries increased to 5,255 from 4,190, a 25 per cent increase.
Bob Grunewald, marketing director for Bow Cycle, said the fact Alberta’s increase was larger than the national jump may be attributed to the fact that there were fewer restrictions in place for much of the pandemic in the Western province than in places such as Ontario and Quebec.
“In Ontario and Quebec, if you had a bike, you’re good, but it was very difficult to get a bike because a lot of the shops were shut down,” said Grunewald. “We probably had a better growth of cycling or more bicycle sales.”
Grunewald said he also believed that increased ridership probably had a large effect on the increased number of injuries, noting he had not heard of an increase in people getting hurt.
Hanson also pointed out that biking infrastructure has typically lagged behind ridership numbers across North America and that the pandemic increase in riders could have exacerbated congestion.
“Infrastructure can’t keep up, and if it was already in need of some improvement before it’s certainly going to take time to catch up to the needs of more people out riding,” said Hansen.
Hansen said riders should be mindful of others while riding on shared paths but also noted drivers should be aware that there are more cyclists on the road.
EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux urged Calgarians to wear a helmet while they ride and bike within their limits. He said many of the city’s pathways have posted speed limits that need to be followed, and urged everyone to get their bikes inspected and tuned up if they haven’t already.
CIHI representatives were unavailable to comment on the latest data Tuesday.