Hiking, biking, paddleboarding, surfing, snowboarding, skiing – the list is endless. If you live in Metro Vancouver you likely know an outdoor enthusiast or are one yourself.
With that being said, not everyone thinks that cyclists are safe on Metro Vancouver streets. In fact, a great deal of people say that they are the ones to blame for a great deal of collisions.
A recent survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute illustrates that a whopping 65% of residents think that cyclists are to blame for road conflict. Interestingly, this percentage is relatively consistent across Canada, with 67% of Montreal and Edmonton claiming that bikes are to blame.
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Winnipeg, however, believes that drivers hold more responsibility, with 52% of people siding with bikes. In Halifax, the results are a draw, showing a sharp divide amongst the population.
With this in mind, age is a factor in people’s beliefs. Of course, this may be because there are more young people riding bikes; people under 55 are three times more likely to ride a bike at least once a week.
“Canadians ages 55 and older who see quite a bit of disagreement between drivers and cyclists in their communities are more likely to take the driver’s side, blaming cyclists for the conflict by a three-to-one margin. Meanwhile, those under age 35 who see problems on their neighbourhood streets are fairly split on which group to blame, with slightly more than half (53%) blaming those in motor vehicles,” the report reads.
Metro Vancouver Cyclists
Of course, there are many instances where cyclists are not to blame. And, with an influx of impaired drivers on the road, there are a number of irresponsible drivers behind the wheel.
With that in mind, biking impaired is also irresponsible, and people are prone to do that. In fact, some people wrongly believe it is less dangerous because bicycles are less dangerous than cars. Of course, this logic fails to factor in that a swerving cyclist may ride into traffic and cause mayhem.
Do you think that cyclists are to blame for road conflict? Or, do you feel that people have taken an unjustifiably hard stance on this issue?
Sound off in the comments below!
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