Environmentally-friendly Transportation & Safety

The many alternative forms of transportation that rely on electricity or human leg/arm power are of course a critical part of transitioning to more eco-friendly cities. But I think both cyclists and vehicle drivers need to be very careful during this transition.

Today I saw a bicycle-vehicle collision where the car driver didn't shoulder check and turned into a bike travelling alongside. The bike was also electrified and the cyclist was on a food delivery. The cycler could not move at all afterward, even when put on a stretcher and put in the ambulance.

If you drive a vehicle, please shoulder check for bikes.

For cyclists – and people on stand-up electric scooters and other forms of urban electrified transportation like them – please research the best helmets and wear them.

This happened to me a few years ago as well. I was biking down a street called Bloor Street in Toronto, in a bike lane, and at an uncontrolled intersection a car I was biking alongside suddenly turned right into my bike lane without signalling, and clearly without having shoulder-checked. I was able to jump off my bike in time and the bike barrelled into the car. The man – who was white, probably late-50s, and driving a Volvo hatchback – looked at me, did basically the same move in the shrugging shoulders emoji 🤷🏼, and drove away. I had to pay about $150 to fix the bike, but luckily I wasn't harmed.

Helmets

There is a lab at Virginia Tech that tests helmets (click for link). Their results are written about in many online articles. If you cycle or drive a stand-up scooter, or an electric sit-down scooter, I strongly encourage you to research the best helmets and get one. If you're concerned about a gaudy helmet throwing off your style, there is one that is pretty fashionable that is #8 (meaning 8th-best helmet) on the Virginia Tech list, the Specialized Mode, which comes in several colourways and is around $100* depending where you get it (all of the below photos are from https://www.specialized.com/):

*This is assuming Canadian or US dollars, I hope you can still find some or all of the best helmets on the Virginia Tech list if you are reading this and are in the Global South!
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The man I saw today was wearing a very thin shell helmet. He was completely unresponsive (other than vital signs) to paramedics, and could not move. I don't know how much a good helmet would have helped but my guess is that it was a factor. 

This is an example of a website live as of today (click for link) that writes about the best helmets, based on the research at the Virginia Tech lab.

Another of the best helmets is the Specialized Tactic 4, which is #4 on the Virginia Tech list – it is about $100, and seems to just be called the Specialized Tactic on their website (they don't seem to list the edition #s for the Specialized Tactic). 

Being Extremely Careful When in Drivers' Shoulders – Or Staying Behind rather than Beside Vehicles Whenever Possible

As a cyclist, I think it is also critical to be very careful when you are in drivers' blind spots. If it is possible, I think it makes sense to travel behind the car rather than travelling alongside. The road where this incident today happened had no bike lanes, and the cyclist could have just been travelling behind the vehicle. I realize the cyclist was also working and they get paid more if they deliver more, but I'm sure if he could take it back he would choose to drive behind the car in front of him.

Please drivers, shoulder check for bikes! And cyclists, wear the best helmets! ​