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Lack of charges reveal enforcement problem for bike laws

August 12th, 2016  |  Auto

The Make Ontario Roads Safer Act aimed to make things less dangerous for pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists alike by introducing stiffer penalties and rules for dangerous driving, but not all the rules have been enforced well.

The new law requires drivers to keep a minimum of one metre space between them and cyclists when passing them on the road. Since it came into effect there have been 19 charges for the offence logged by the Ontario Attorney General. If that number seems low it’s probably because it is. Cycle Toronto’s director, Jared Kolb, told Metro News the low number of charges is disturbing and that cyclists regularly report close passes.

The low number of charges is partially due to the limitations of police patrolling. They can’t be everywhere at once and nobody can see every little thing on the road. However, the pitiful number of charges out there is no excuse for the police. Metro reached out to Toronto police, but received no response. In Ottawa, bike police are using new sonar sensors to detect vehicles breaking the one metre rule. That could maybe lead to better enforcement, but it’s no guarantee.

The Ontario coroner found that motorists failing to pass cyclists with more than one metre of space was a leading cause of death and serious injury.