I regret I didn't post the accidents I saw involving bikes to jclist. As I said previously, I am not in favor of the city introducing bike lanes without doing a car cenus. It doesn't help that many downtown streets are closed for various reasons which adds to the traffic problems. I hope jclist viewers do post accidents here.

Only for the benefit of the doubt I would love to have been a fly on the wall just to see who was really at fault here. If all rules were followed there probably would not have been any accidents. Just today a huge SUV zipped out of an intersection by making a right on red without slowing down doing it in an unsafe fashion by making a wide turn going over the yellow line. Two motor vehicles almost collided. I bet that cars are more of a problem on the roads than bicycles.

Also, cyclists, especially new transplants, should take note that CARS IN THIS TOWN TYPICALLY DO NOT STOP AT STOP SIGNS, especially at night, when they don't even bother pretending to do a roll-through.

I think it'd be best if cyclists got off the sidewalks altogether -- drivers here must learn that being slightly inconvenienced by cyclists is the new normal and it's only going to happen more often.

I hardly ever see cyclists obey traffic laws whether it is a stop sign or light, very dangerous.

Twice this week I have seen cyclists on the ground with their bikes waiting for ambulances after collisions with cars. I didn't see the collisions, just the aftermath, so I have no idea who was at fault but both cyclists were down in crosswalk areas of intersections (one at Coles and Columbus, the other at Grove and Bay St). The one at Columbus appeared to be a hit and run, the cops were there making the guy stay down in the position he was hit until the bus came.

As a motorist and a cyclist in this city, a few comments:

1. Cyclists, please for the love of all that is holy, wear a helmet. Neither of the people who got hit were, and they were very lucky to not have landed on their heads. Both seemed conscious thankfully and weren't massively bleeding or anything but not everyone is so lucky. Traumatic brain injuries are no joke, just ask a war vet.

2. Sharing the road means both drivers and cyclists need to practice common sense. Drivers, respect that cyclists need space but don't swerve across the median into the other lane giving them 10-15 feet of berth either (they do this for me all the time). Cyclists, expect a reasonable amount of space and don't take over a lane (i.e. for a left turn while waiting at a red light) unless you A. need to and/or B. can reasonably keep speed with traffic.

3. Cyclists, BEHAVE PREDICTABLY. Nothing makes a driver more nervous than a cyclist weaving around, blowing through red lights, etc. Cycle in a straight consistent path, respect traffic lights and act like a vehicle basically (don't switch between "pedestrian rules" and "car rules").

4. Be careful at intersections. A cyclist acting like a pedestrian at a crosswalk is a very dangerous thing especially with a turning car because a bike is so much faster than a person walking, it can really surprise a driver. My uncle was hit this way - he thought he was being safe riding on the side walk and was in the crosswalk when a speeding teenager took a left and hit him. He had a very severe broken leg that took months of physical therapy. Oh and he avoided a head injury because he WORE A HELMET.

Feel free to add any safety tips (and rant if you want but safety tips are probably more productive than complaining).