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Citizens for Safe Cycling BULLETIN   1997 February 19
 
CYCLING SAFETY: ONE GREEN LIGHT, BUT IS THAT A STOP SIGN AHEAD?
---------------------------------------------------------------
 
ENSURE SUPPORT FOR BETTER, SAFER CYCLING CONTINUES IN 1997.
Please contact your regional councillors by Tuesday Feb. 25
FULL DETAILS FOLLOW.
 
Please forward / circulate /post to all interested parties
 
For more information contact Citizens for Safe Cycling:
* e-mail: cfsc@ve3pak.ocunix.on.ca
* on FreeNet: "go cfsc"
* phone 722-4454 (24 hours)
 
 
On Wednesday Feb 26, regional councillors will vote on two programs
that ensure cycling safety and convenience for you and the other
members of your family. Don't let cycling conditions get worse...
tell your regional councillors today that you to expect them to
support cycling in the 1997 RMOC budget, as a safe, healthy,
inexpensive and environmentally-friendly mode of transportation.
It's important that they hear from residents like YOU who live in
their ward. Don't depend on someone else speaking up.
 
Full details on how to contact your regional councillor by phone,
e-mail and fax are included at the bottom of this message.
 
 
YOU NEED TWO PROGRAMS FOR BETTER, SAFER CYCLING!
------------------------------------------------
 
Regional Council and the regional Transportation Department support
cycling as an important part of our transportation system. In fact,
161,000 trips are made by bicycle each day during the cycling season!
 
The transportation department funds two essential but very different
activities to encourage more, safe and comfortable travel by cycling
residents:
 
1. The Cycling Facilities Improvement Program (CFIP)
 
During the last 50 years most roads were built without taking
cyclists into consideration. While many new regional roads and
bridges have extra space, such as bike lanes, built into them, there
are many older roads that need "fixing up". CFIP exists to fix-up
these thousands of kilometres of older regional roads, and dangerous
overpasses and intersections so they are "cycling-friendly."
 
On Wednesday February 5, councillors on RMOC's Transportation
Committee reallocated an additional $100,000 to the Cycling
Facilities Improvement Program (CFIP), bringing the total funding to
$175,000, almost the same as last year's level. In fact, this is only
0.5% of the Transportation Department's $40 Million capital works
budget!
 
Staff originally recommended a mere $75,000 for CFIP in 1997, a
decrease of $95,000 from the 1996 budget of $170,000 approved by RMOC
Council in March 1996.
 
In recent years, CFIP funding has helped improve regional roads from
Orleans to Stittsville. Here are a few examples of how cycling has
been improved with CFIP funding:
   * an updated and greatly improved regional cycling guide/map was
     produced and distributed in 1996
   * the abandoned CP rail bed from Nepean to Kanata and Stittsville
     was turned into a bikeway
   * shoulders on Prince of Wales Drive in Ottawa were paved for
     cycling
   * bike lanes were added to Blair Road in Gloucester
   * bike lanes were planned for Innes Road
 
While cycling improvements cost considerably less than multi-million
dollar road projects, almost nothing can be done on a budget of only
$75,000! Tell your councillor to support Transportation Committee's
recommendation for $175,000 in the 1997 budget.
 
 
2. THE CYCLING SAFETY AND PROMOTION PROGRAM
-------------------------------------------
 
1997 funding for this $38,000 program was approved on Feb. 5, as part
of the Transportation and Environment Department's operating budget.
However, some regional councillors, led by Nepean Councillor David
Pratt, did try to kill the funding for this program during the
regional council budget debate in 1996. Their attempt was narrowly
defeated and another attack is possible on February 26 -- unless you
speak up.
 
If funding is cut, the regional Cycling Safety and Promotion Program
would be operated only by volunteers, working out of their
basements, with almost no resources. Volunteers with no budget
cannot replace a paid cycling expert in answering public
inquiries, building community partnerships, distributing safety
information, scheduling courses and events, and, most
importantly, coordinating volunteers. Cycling safety would
decrease and cycling would not be promoted as effectively.
 
Cycling crashes CAN be prevented, if we build safe roads and
paths for all users and teach motorists and cyclists how to share
the road safely and responsibly.
 
That's exactly what has happened in Ottawa-Carleton in the last
12 years, because of the regional Cycling Safety and Promotion
Program.
 
 
WHAT TO TELL YOUR COUNCILLOR
----------------------------
Whether you visit, e-mail, phone, or fax your Regional Councillor
(full contact information is listed at the end bulletin) here are
some points you can mention about the program.
 
 
THE REGIONAL CYCLING SAFETY AND PROMOTION PROGRAM...
----------------------------------------------------
* promotes cycling as a safe, enjoyable, healthy,
  environmentally friendly and inexpensive means of
  transportation   consistent with RMOC Council policies that
  encourage residents to cycle as a way to reduce road-building
  costs and air pollution. More than one-half of Ottawa-Carleton
  residents ride a bicycle. That's a real saving to the
  taxpayer: a recent RMOC study, "Total cost of Travel", found
  that municipal taxpayers subsidize cars by $347 per household,
  compared to less than $1 per household for bicycles.
 
* advocates bicycle helmets to reduce injuries, and teaches how
  to fit and wear them properly. More than 12,000 young cyclists
  in every part of our region were taught about helmet use as
  part of safe cycling instruction in 1995/96.
 
* investigates why cycling crashes occur and prepares
  well-researched and prioritized recommendations for road safety
  improvements and for campaigns aimed at reducing the most
  common cycling crashes.  
 
  The program has run sidewalk cycling and aggressive driving
  campaigns in recent years, as well as reviewing dangerous
  regional intersections as part of the RMOC Safety Improvement
  Program.
 
* encourages women to cycle with annual workshops that show how
  to deal with specific problems, such as bike fit, commuting
  clothing choices, personal safety, and basic bike maintenance.
 
* informs residents how to cycle more skillfully and frequently,
  by distributing thousands of brochures and answering
  thousands of telephone and information booth enquiries on
  cycling routes, safety equipment, and traffic laws.
 
* teaches children how to ride on the road in real conditions,
  in courses suited to their age level and skills and taught by
  nationally-certified instructors. More than 40 Kids CAN-BIKE
  Festival Roadeos and skills courses were presented in
  neighbourhoods in Orleans, Gloucester, Nepean, Ottawa, Kanata
  and other local cities in 1996.
 
* instructs teenagers and adults in defensive cycling skills to
  allow them to avoid accidents, even when other road users make
  mistakes.
 
* runs campaigns to improve motorist awareness of cyclists
  rights to safely use the road
 
It's a great deal!
------------------
Citizens for Safe Cycling (CfSC), a volunteer-based, non-profit
community cycling association, runs the program under contract to
the RMOC Transportation Department. The RMOC sets out what the
program will do. CfSC then carries out that program with many
volunteers, professional cycling skills instructors and one paid
coordinator.
 
The RMOC paid $39,000 for program services in 1996 (to be reduced
to $38,000 in 1997).Since this isn't sufficient to run the full
program, CfSC augmented regional funds with grants from other
agencies, donations, the Ride for Cycling fund-raising ride, and
thousands of hours of volunteer time -- all resources that
regional taxpayers and the RMOC could not get if it ran the
program itself.
 
 
1. Cycling safety is MORE than bike lanes
-----------------------------------------
 
There's no doubt that many roads in Ottawa-Carleton could be
better designed for cyclists and have fewer dangerous cracks
and potholes. Wide curb lanes, bike lanes, paved shoulders,
smaller intersections, and other measures can make cycling more
comfortable and reduce some causes of collisions or falls, but
they're simply not enough.
 
Studies of cyclist collisions in North America have shown that
68% are caused by cyclist or motorist error, not road design or
maintenance. Most car-bike collisions occur at intersections,
where bike lanes can't exist. Cyclists and motorists cannot
depend on bike lanes to avoid collisions: they need skills
training and awareness of dangerous situations to stay safe.
 
2. Safety is NOT a frill
------------------------
 
RMOC Transportation Department reports state that enforcement and
education are "equally valuable" as road design in reducing
collisions.
 
RMOC residents support safety programs. Consumer research done
for the RMOC Transportation Master Plan (1996) shows that
"eliminating conflicts between bicycles and other vehicles
received the highest share of very important ratings in concerns
about the local transportation system."
 
3. The RMOC is responsible for the safety of cycling residents
--------------------------------------------------------------
 
Since 1984, the RMOC has funded cycling safety programs, just as
it funds similar programs to improve motorist, motorcyclist, and
pedestrian safety.
 
The RMOC is responsible for the safety of its citizens through
its police service and the careful operation of its roads.
Cycling safety is a CORE responsibility of the RMOC, not an
option.
 
 
4. Safety is very affordable compared to the alternatives
---------------------------------------------------------
 
Every traffic collision directly costs the RMOC taxpayer hundreds
of dollars in police time and other costs   not to mention the
pain, suffering and expense to victims and their families.
 
In an operating budget of $57 million for regional
transportation, a $38,000 safety program that prevents deaths and
injuries hardly seems like the best place to cut.
 
 
5. The Cycling Safety and Promotion Program works in all
communities
-----------
 
The Cycling Safety and Prmotion Program runs courses, children's
bicycle rodeos, information booths, and motorist awareness
campaigns and conducts cycling crash research and other events
throughout Ottawa-Carleton. From West Carleton and Kanata to
Orleans and Cumberland, Nepean and Gloucester to Ottawa, and both
in English and en francais, the program has strived to improve
cycling in all parts of our region.
 
 
6. CfSC supports all methods of improving cycling safety
--------------------------------------------------------
 
The Cycling Safety and Promotion Program promotes bicycle helmets
as a method of substantially reducing injuries in a fall or
collision. More importantly, the program recommends specific road
safety improvements and teaches techniques to avoid collisions
and falls in the first place.
 
 
7. All regional Cycling Safety Program funding, and much more, 
is spent only on safety and promotion
-------------------------------------
 
Citizens for Safe Cycling also runs a volunteer-operated program
that advocates improved cycling facilities and legislation and
defends cyclists rights. That program is completely separate,
financially and administratively, from the Cycling Safety and
Promotion Program. RMOC funds are only spent on program
activities purchased by the RMOC, not for "lobbying" as some
regional councillors have incorrectly stated.
 
This bulletin was prepared by CfSC members/volunteers. No RMOC
funds were spent on it.
 
 
8. Cycling skills courses pay for themselves, and more
------------------------------------------------------
 
Adult and child cyclists who benefit from CAN-BIKE and Kids CAN-BIKE
cycling skills courses not only pay the full cost of the
course, but they also contribute a small profit to the Program.
These profits help fund safety and promotion activities which
benefit every regional resident. Many course graduates have gone
on to share their enthusiasm and new skills with the community,
for example, as new volunteers teaching cycling safety to
children.
 
 
GET INVOLVED!
-------------
The success of the regional Cycling Safety and Promotion Program
depends on the continued support of regional government   and
also on you!
 
Whether you're a student, graphic designer, parent, or retiree,
there are many ways you can improve cycling in your community as
a program volunteer.
 
Call the Program Coordinator, Gavin MacPhail, at 567-1288 or
e-mail  cfsc-ed@ve3pak.ocunix.on.ca for more opportunities or to
offer your suggestions.
 
Here are a few ways you could participate:
* deliver cycling safety and encouragement materials to your
local bike stores, libraries, schools, and community centres
 
* help organize a Kids CAN-BIKE Festival roadeo for your
neighbourhood children
 
* help research and analyze cycling crashes to prepare effective
crash reduction measures
 
* take a CAN-BIKE cycling skills course to learn new skills and
knowledge that will benefit you and that you can share with your
family and friends.
 
* use your graphic design or writing skills to prepare brochures,
signs, and Internet Web pages.
 
* organize a meeting to promote cycling and effective cycling
techniques in your workplace or school.
 
 
Please contact your Regional Councillor by Tuesday February 25
--------------------------------------------------------------
 
Don't know who your regional councillor is?
Phone 560-1202 to find out.
 
E-mail your letter to safe-cycling@flora.org .  Citizens for Safe
Cycling will forward a copy to every regional councillor and the
Regional Clerk, and send you a receipt. CfSC will keep a file copy
and make SURE that your letter is entered into the official record at
Regional Council and doesn't get "lost". CfSC will keep you updated
(by e-mail) about the decisions of Regional Council.
 
Or fax to the Regional Councillor(s) in your area at 560-1202 (and to
Chair Peter Clark at 560-6010), and please fax a copy to CfSC at
729-2207.
 
 
Regional Chair Peter Clark 560-2068 (fax 560-6010).
 
Dan Beamish         560-1216   Gloucester (south)
Michel Bellemare    560-1217   Gloucester (Beacon Hill)
Richard Cantin      560-1205   Gloucester (Blackburn) [Chair]
Alex Cullen         560-1211   Ottawa (west)/Nepean
Linda Davis         560-1222   Ottawa (west)
Betty Hill          560-1209   Goulbourn / West Carleton
Diane Holmes        560-1220   Ottawa (Centretown)
Peter Hume          560-1227   Ottawa
Gord Hunter         560-1215   Nepean (south)
Herb Kreling        560-1204   Orleans
Jacques Legendre    560-1219   Ottawa (east)
Al Loney            560-1212   Nepean  (central) 
Brian McGarry       560-1224   Ottawa (Glebe, Ottawa south)
Madeleine Meilleur  560-1218   Ottawa (Sandy Hill, Lowertown) /
                               Vanier
Alex Munter         560-1207   Kanata
David Pratt         560-1206   Nepean (Barrhaven/Bells Corners)
Wendy Stewart       560-1223   Ottawa
Robert van den Ham  560-1210   Cumberland
 
 
 
------------------------------------------------------------
Citizens for Safe Cycling is the non-profit association that
promotes responsible cycling as a mode of transportation in
Ottawa-Carleton.
 
Membership is $20/year individual ($35/2 years) or $25/year
household ($45/2 years). Donations in support of this campaign and
our other work are *greatly* appreciated. Mail to CfSC, Box 248,
Station B, Ottawa, K1P 6C4. Your CfSC membership supports
campaigns like this, and the Cycling Safety and Promotion
Program. Membership benefits include a newsletter subscription,
bike store discounts and the opportunity to improve cycling and
work with others who share your interest.
 
 
                              ---
              Citizens for Safe Cycling thanks you
              for supporting better, safer cycling
                       in Ottawa-Carleton
 
--
                  Brett Delmage    brett@freenet.carleton.on.ca