The history of the automobile is filled with safety innovations, most of them infrastructural: paved roads, lane markings, traffic lights, highway lane dividers. But altogether, this preponderance of car-oriented changes to our roads has come at the expense of the safety of cyclists, who are forced to share the road with fast, heavy, deadly vehicles. In light of this imbalance, the City of Toronto must work to improve safety for cyclists.

It is already difficult to get more road space designated for cyclists. And in the form of painted lanes, the officially relegated space provides little assurance for a cyclist’s safety.

There are the usual complaints that cyclists are erratic and ride illegally, running through stop signs and red lights. Bicycles, which don’t fit into the current road scheme where there aren’t bike lanes, throw traffic into a kind of chaos for every road user. And for the individual cyclist, part of the problem when mixing with traffic is that the cyclist seems unexpected and unseen, constantly vying for limited space.

The roles of cyclist and driver are not always mutually exclusive. It is hoped that the people who occupy both seats have the kind of empathy that makes for safe cycling and driving.

If the City cannot provide the physical infrastructure necessary to improve cyclists’ safety, it still bears responsibility for ensuring safe road conditions. With minimal protection, cyclists are much more vulnerable to dangerous and sometimes fatal accidents, often involving cars or trucks on the road. However, the heightened risks for cyclists have not been considered in municipal planning decision-making.

The most effective, and least costly way for the City to increase road-safety would be to encourage defensive driving tactics and more respectful cycling habits within the general population. The City can responsibly educate its citizens about road safety. It can influence road culture and driving/cycling habits. Toronto must help people understand that cyclists and drivers have a mutual responsibility to each other to share the road in a respectful, safe, and consistent manner.

The recent death of Jenna Morrison has galvanized the ongoing feud between drivers and cyclists, prompting the cycling community to demand upgrades to the safety regulations which govern the shared streets of the province. But while Toronto should surely be made safer for cyclists (as Toronto should be made safer for everyone), it must be asked whether or not cyclists are deserving of a safer city. The answer to that question is perhaps less certain, and certainly more contentious.

If there's one thing both cyclists and drivers have in common, it's their propensity to lambaste one another at any opportunity. Bad drivers are often berated by cyclists for their ignorance and unawareness, whereas bad cyclists are often criticized by drivers for their carelessness and unpredictability.

But consider for a moment how cars and bicycles are equal under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, the final word on vehicular laws in the province. Drivers are aware that it’s illegal to speed through red lights and stop signs, yet most cyclists seem oblivious to the fact. How many times have you seen cyclists disregard traffic signals and signs, an infraction which carries an $85 fine? You'll surely never see a car drive on the sidewalk, so why do cyclists seem to think they can get away with doing just that?

All too often, cyclists bike in the wrong direction, neglect to signal turns, and fail to yield to pedestrians. When so few cyclists can be bothered to obey the rules devised for common safety, why should the city make efforts to accommodate their needs?

If I've upset you with this piece, dear cyclists, then prove me wrong. Prove to me that you deserve special consideration in the changing traffic infrastructure of our city. Not by throwing a tantrum every time some prick in a Porsche cuts you off, but by being a model of the virtues you claim to embody through your alternative transportation choice. Because while there are a great deal of bad drivers out there, there are far more bad cyclists.