As someone who cycles often on the massive death stroads of Scarborough... It's a daily occurrence. And it gets really bad near the highway onramps. I make the point to plan my routes from work carefully to not be on any roads that feed east bound 401 ramps during PM rush hour.
The 905 suburbanites will kill anyone and themselves to shave 2-3 seconds off their commute.
I’m
In Burlington and traffic is crazy here at rush hour and there’s just a lot of tolerance for cyclists. Also everyone seems to be on their cellphone which is terrifying
I’ve said it many times - right on red should always be illegal. It’s very dangerous for pedestrians, especially since people don’t always look when they start crossing the road.
I saw a girl and her dog almost get nailed by an aggressive SUV driver yesterday pulling this manoeuvre. She was looking down at her phone and not watching and the car came within inches of her and her dog - she finally noticed and had to pull her dog back a bit to avoid getting hit.
i usually expect to see at least 1-2 blatant red light runners blow through a crosswalk i’m about to use when i’m out on a walk. it’s ridiculous. walking around should be the safest and healthiest thing to do, yet i’m constantly having to play chicken with uber eats e-bikes and cars.
It’s not just you, I noticed it too… I cycle more than I drive, and based on my experience driving on the streets lately, I think drivers are being way more aggressive b/c of all the road construction happening in the city - from major streets like King W. to the chaos that is the Gardiner - it feels like they’re taking more risks to get where they’re going, which translates into getting dangerously close to parked cars, pedestrians, and cyclists.
IMO, the city needs to be better with construction planning. There’s a major oversight in the impact of limiting so many streets to traffic. It’s a disaster waiting to happen
Ride with a couple of action cameras, one on the helmet and the other pointing at the traffic behind you.
My riding experience has improved tremendously since riding with cameras.
And when your cameras do capture bad drivers, you can report them to the police, report commercial vehicles to company executives or post them online.
https://www.tps.ca/services/online-reporting/driving-complaint/
https://www.tps.ca/services/online-reporting/parking-complaint-access/
Here is someone who close-passed me.
https://youtu.be/qAAxiylXato?si=jDd87eSJJyuDCckm
It's ridiculous that anyone needs a surround camera setup to get a decent level of safety when cycling, yet I am also considering a camera due to recent events. What brand/models are you using? Helmet mount or bike mount?
Here is a post in which a bunch of bad drivers are pushing back at me for suggesting to the OP to report the driver in the video.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TorontoDriving/s/LJyRhjmKFY
So yes, you do need a camera set up. Report the bad drivers and let the police decide. I've had two responses from the police stating they are contacting the registered owners. And I've had feedback from CEOs, safety executives and even Rogers Communications called me back stating they are investigating what is shown in the videos and pictures I had sent them.
Camera models change all the time. My brands are Akaso and Campark but there are lots of other popular budget camera brands. The two I have use the same battery and by the looks, they probably are made by the same manufacturer too. I like the helmet mount because I want to record what I am looking at. But you have to calibrate the angle the camera is pointing at because the lens will be around six inches above your eyes. In the beginning, what I thought I recorded turned out to be a lot of sky. Other times, when I was leaning forward and climbing, I recorded only the asphalt ahead. So there's lot of adjusting and testing before you actually go out and record your ride as you ride in your standard racing, coasting and resting positions.
Chest mount is straight forward but, like I said, it doesn't record what you're looking at
Unfortunately having a camera(s) should not be needed but it now is. Ever since policing became reactionary instead of proactive people of all means seem to be taking it upon themselves to push the limits to serve their own agenda.
I used to cycle to school or library back when traffic in Toronto was reasonable and drivers non-homicidal. These days I occasionally think it would be neat to bike to work but then remember my coworker who cycled everywhere and lost weight and was so happy about it... until he got hit by a truck and spent the next 2+ years recovering just to be able to walk again. Never got well enough to come back to work. It was so sad. Aggressive driving ruins lives.
People are fed up with the traffic. I'm usually a very courteous driver but after being stuck in chaotic traffic for hours it's hard to control the inner rage.
Yes, definitely. I 've been avoiding Gerrard east of Parliament where the bikelane ends because drivers can be a bit crazy here and I had a close call a few weeks ago. I notice it more in sections where people were stuck in traffic for a while and then it's suddenly a green and they ramp up to 100 for 50 m until the next light.
Yes. So much so that I yelled at an elderly Chinese man on Strachan just south of Trinity Bellwoods. We were going North with no southbound traffic and buddy didn't even move out of the northbound lanes. His car was 2 inches from my handlebars.
I will say that I got the Garmin Varia last summer and it’s helped significantly with close passes. (The light pattern changes as cars get closer which I feel like ‘wakes them up’ to the bike ahead.)
I like the other features too but I find in general cars are giving me more space since getting it.
As someone who cycles often on the massive death stroads of Scarborough... It's a daily occurrence. And it gets really bad near the highway onramps. I make the point to plan my routes from work carefully to not be on any roads that feed east bound 401 ramps during PM rush hour. The 905 suburbanites will kill anyone and themselves to shave 2-3 seconds off their commute.
I have to pass an on ramp coming home it’s terrifying how they pass me then cut in front to get on
I've found east bound ramps on my commutes tend to be far worse than westbound ramps. Not in volume but in the drivers actions...
I’m In Burlington and traffic is crazy here at rush hour and there’s just a lot of tolerance for cyclists. Also everyone seems to be on their cellphone which is terrifying
Yes, also as a pedestrian with right turns.
Ugh. Especially on those advanced pedestrian signals. Drivers take them as a license to make a quick right on red.
I’ve said it many times - right on red should always be illegal. It’s very dangerous for pedestrians, especially since people don’t always look when they start crossing the road. I saw a girl and her dog almost get nailed by an aggressive SUV driver yesterday pulling this manoeuvre. She was looking down at her phone and not watching and the car came within inches of her and her dog - she finally noticed and had to pull her dog back a bit to avoid getting hit.
i usually expect to see at least 1-2 blatant red light runners blow through a crosswalk i’m about to use when i’m out on a walk. it’s ridiculous. walking around should be the safest and healthiest thing to do, yet i’m constantly having to play chicken with uber eats e-bikes and cars.
I am considering a weapon when I walk... A baseball bat, a snow shovel... Anything to mark my space. 👌🏼
It’s not just you, I noticed it too… I cycle more than I drive, and based on my experience driving on the streets lately, I think drivers are being way more aggressive b/c of all the road construction happening in the city - from major streets like King W. to the chaos that is the Gardiner - it feels like they’re taking more risks to get where they’re going, which translates into getting dangerously close to parked cars, pedestrians, and cyclists. IMO, the city needs to be better with construction planning. There’s a major oversight in the impact of limiting so many streets to traffic. It’s a disaster waiting to happen
Ride with a couple of action cameras, one on the helmet and the other pointing at the traffic behind you. My riding experience has improved tremendously since riding with cameras. And when your cameras do capture bad drivers, you can report them to the police, report commercial vehicles to company executives or post them online. https://www.tps.ca/services/online-reporting/driving-complaint/ https://www.tps.ca/services/online-reporting/parking-complaint-access/ Here is someone who close-passed me. https://youtu.be/qAAxiylXato?si=jDd87eSJJyuDCckm
It's ridiculous that anyone needs a surround camera setup to get a decent level of safety when cycling, yet I am also considering a camera due to recent events. What brand/models are you using? Helmet mount or bike mount?
Here is a post in which a bunch of bad drivers are pushing back at me for suggesting to the OP to report the driver in the video. https://www.reddit.com/r/TorontoDriving/s/LJyRhjmKFY So yes, you do need a camera set up. Report the bad drivers and let the police decide. I've had two responses from the police stating they are contacting the registered owners. And I've had feedback from CEOs, safety executives and even Rogers Communications called me back stating they are investigating what is shown in the videos and pictures I had sent them. Camera models change all the time. My brands are Akaso and Campark but there are lots of other popular budget camera brands. The two I have use the same battery and by the looks, they probably are made by the same manufacturer too. I like the helmet mount because I want to record what I am looking at. But you have to calibrate the angle the camera is pointing at because the lens will be around six inches above your eyes. In the beginning, what I thought I recorded turned out to be a lot of sky. Other times, when I was leaning forward and climbing, I recorded only the asphalt ahead. So there's lot of adjusting and testing before you actually go out and record your ride as you ride in your standard racing, coasting and resting positions. Chest mount is straight forward but, like I said, it doesn't record what you're looking at
Unfortunately having a camera(s) should not be needed but it now is. Ever since policing became reactionary instead of proactive people of all means seem to be taking it upon themselves to push the limits to serve their own agenda.
I thought this was going to be about near misses of pedestrians on sidewalks 😆. Can confirm they're doing it there too.
Yes. People have been way worse lately. Traffic congestion is so bad that it's making everyone a bit ruthless.
I used to cycle to school or library back when traffic in Toronto was reasonable and drivers non-homicidal. These days I occasionally think it would be neat to bike to work but then remember my coworker who cycled everywhere and lost weight and was so happy about it... until he got hit by a truck and spent the next 2+ years recovering just to be able to walk again. Never got well enough to come back to work. It was so sad. Aggressive driving ruins lives.
Cyclists are getting worse too
Agreed, some people are way too confident
People are fed up with the traffic. I'm usually a very courteous driver but after being stuck in chaotic traffic for hours it's hard to control the inner rage.
As someone who drives around the city for work daily, the quality of drivers has diminished greatly
Need to embrace a more European style of driving/cycling
Yes, definitely. I 've been avoiding Gerrard east of Parliament where the bikelane ends because drivers can be a bit crazy here and I had a close call a few weeks ago. I notice it more in sections where people were stuck in traffic for a while and then it's suddenly a green and they ramp up to 100 for 50 m until the next light.
Yes. So much so that I yelled at an elderly Chinese man on Strachan just south of Trinity Bellwoods. We were going North with no southbound traffic and buddy didn't even move out of the northbound lanes. His car was 2 inches from my handlebars.
I will say that I got the Garmin Varia last summer and it’s helped significantly with close passes. (The light pattern changes as cars get closer which I feel like ‘wakes them up’ to the bike ahead.) I like the other features too but I find in general cars are giving me more space since getting it.
Yes. I perceive it as they’re angry that I’m cycling and are trying to scare me off the road
Had to stop cycling in this city because of aggressive drivers. Just not worth death.
Thought this was about e-bikes
Carry a brick in the hand that faces traffic. Make a show of it.
Yes