Vancouver the safest of five major Canadian cities for cycling: Pembina Institute study
Per 100,000 trips, Vancouver saw the lowest incidence of crashes with one. Montreal and Toronto, meanwhile, ranked as the two most dangerous Canadian cities in which to ride.
According to a new study published by the Pembina Institute, an environmental policy think tank headquartered in Calgary, Vancouver is the safest of five major Canadian cities when it comes to cycling, Metro News reports.
The study analyzed cycling statistics in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa.
Per 100,000 trips, it indicated, Vancouver saw the lowest incidence of crashes with just one. Montreal and Toronto, meanwhile, ranked as the two most dangerous Canadian cities in which to ride, with seven crashes and five, respectively. In Calgary and Ottawa, the frequency of crashes per 100,000 rides was near the middle, with four and three.
Vancouver was also the city with the highest number of daily cycling trips, Metro News reported, with 106,500. Toronto was just behind with 96,084, while Calgary had the lowest number with 19,476. Van City’s bustling, bike-friendly streets, of course, owe themselves to a robust investment over the past few years in city-wide infrastructure. As Canadian Cycling Magazine reported during the summer, the city’s new network of bike lanes, threaded through the downtown core, has seen a dramatic spike in cyclists.
The Burrard Street Bridge, for one, saw a million riders cross its span during an eight-month period. When more bikes are on the streets, the report’s co-author said, the risk of calamity generally seems lower.
“It shows there can be safety in numbers,” Nithya Vijayakumar said, adding that the report’s findings demonstrate that bike infrastructure, like Vancouver’s, makes a difference.
