Cyclists beware: Toronto is the most dangerous Canadian city for a bike ride, according to a recent study.
The study, commissioned by the city, shows that Toronto had the highest number of accidents involving cyclists in 2010 with 1,145 incidents. That's about 42 accidents for every 100,000 people.
Montreal was second on the list with 38 accidents per 100,000 people followed by Vancouver with 33. Winnipeg had the safest roads for cyclists with only 26 accidents per 100,000 people.
The study also examined the cause of accidents and found side-swiping was the most common cause of accidents (164 incidents) involving cyclists. Cyclists driving into open vehicle doors (144) was the second most common mistake.
"The data is there to demonstrate that there is a huge opportunity for improvement among both cyclists and drivers," Mike Brady, manager of traffic safety for the city, told CP24.com. "We have a very long list of collision types and if you look at them the cyclist has the right away 47 per cent of time. That tells other roads users to be cognizant and make sure they are looking out for cyclist, but it also shows cyclists that they can improve as well."
The statistics, which the city releases quarterly, found that the majority of cycling accidents in Toronto happen around rush hour on Monday to Friday. There was a significant drop off in accidents on the weekend.
Despite the sobering statistics, Brady said he doesn't believe Toronto is an unfriendly city for cyclists.
"The number of cycling days is different, the weather conditions are different and the volume of cyclists is different, so it is not terribly surprising that collision rates would be different as well," he told CP24.com.
The total number of cycling accidents in the city dropped by 120 from 2009. There was also only one fatal accident involving a cyclist, compared with three in 2009.
