[SDCBC] Dangers of cycling Toronto streets reduced by training, bike officer says

[Serge Issakov]

An article in the Toronto Star provides some evidence that training police
officers could be key to increasing acceptance of vehicular cycling in our
culture.   Can Bike is based on the Effective Cycling education program, and
is basically the Canadian version of the LAB Road 1/2 program offered
through the coalition.  A quote from an officer is actually typical of many
students: "You think you know how to ride a bike until you actually take the
course – it's well worth your while".

Excerpts:

Zammit can name the risks a city cyclist faces – car doors opened blindly,
> trucks barrelling by, endless canals of streetcar tracks. While sympathetic,
> he also urges riders to take proactive measures to protect themselves.
>
> Many seem to think the road rules for cyclists are different than for cars
> "when in fact they're not," he says, adding he often sees people pedalling
> through red lights and along sidewalks – practices that infuriate others.
>
> ...
>
> Sgt. Zammit is prepared to lead by example.
>
> All officers in his unit are trained in a two-day version of Can Bike, a
> safety program offered to the public through the Ontario Cycling
> Association.
>
> He credits the training for his unit's low number of road injuries.
>
> "You think you know how to ride a bike until you actually take the course –
> it's well worth your while," he says.
>
> According to Const. Hugh Smith, who oversees bike training of Toronto
> police officers, over 1,400 have taken a version of the Can-Bike course over
> the years, with many completing advanced courses for special dismounts and
> high speed chases.
>
> Cycling on the job since 1994, Smith says he's never seen an officer get
> seriously hurt on a bike.
>
> But he says members of public on wheels run a greater risk because they're
> unlikely to have had any training.
>
> Zammit would like to see that change.
>
Link to full article:

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/445155

Serge


-- 
NOTE: Any opinions expressed above are mine and not necessarily shared by
any organization in which I am involved.
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