Category: Bike Law Canada
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Ontario Bicycle Laws
ONTARIO BICYCLE LAWS It’s important to know your legal rights (and duties) when bicycling in Ontario. It is especially important after a bicycle accident (we call them bicycle “crashes” and explain why here). For any questions about the Province’s bike laws, or about your rights to the road, contact attorney Pat Brown directly. Right to the Road Prohibitions Helmets…
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Putting a Human Face to Vulnerable Road Users
Register for Ontario VRU Stakeholders Meeting, Friday, May 3, 2019 On the evening of March 18th 2019, Mike Wilkomirsky was riding along Bay Street in downtown Toronto when a driver made an abrupt left turn in front of him, forcing Mike to hit his breaks to avoid a potentially deadly collision. As most of us would do, Mike…
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Anthony’s Trek to Tokyo 2020
How a High School Track Star found a New Lease on Life Strength, ambition, and courage are just a few words that come to mind when we think of Anthony Lue. Growing up, Anthony enjoyed playing competitive sports such as baseball, volleyball, basketball and mountain biking, but his true passion was discovered on his high school…
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Toronto Trail Guidelines Should Have Saved Xavier Morgan
This may seem to be about a basic barrier on the side of a path but this fight is to ensure our children and all vulnerable road users have safe roads or paths to ride on. The Martin Goodman Trail is one of the many multi-use trails within Toronto that offers all people the ability…
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Tragic Biking Fatality in Toronto Highlights Need for Better Infrastructure
How many tragedies do we need in Toronto before we invest in keeping Vulnerable Road Users safe? Wednesday evening, a 5-year-old boy fell into the roadway while riding on the Martin Goodman Trail and died after being struck by a car. The death of a young boy is tragic and incomprehensible for any parent. Based on the…
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New Brunswick Fighting for One-metre of Space
Let us all stand up for Ellen’s Law and get New Brunswick cyclists the one-metre of space they deserve. Update: ‘Ellen’s law’ gets endorsement from Saint John city council It is with the recent passing of Canadian cyclist, Ellen Watters, that people of New Brunswick are calling for a one-metre passing law. Her family and friends are…
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Urgent: Bylaw Declaring Toronto Streets “Community Safety Zones”
A VRU law is simple: you hit a pedestrian, cyclist, or person on a mobility device, you face extra penalties. Here is one option city council and councilors should seriously consider. Firstly, before even embarking on this issue, I want to express extreme concern that no steps have been made to bring in Vulnerable Road User…
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Bad “bike accident” reporting in Canada
Victim blaming persists. As a bike crash lawyer, I have seen far too many crashes that get unfairly reported when a vulnerable road user such as a cyclist or pedestrian is involved. There is a tendency to turn the initial focus on the conduct of the victim. This sets up a situation of victim blaming and…
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Hey Canada, it’s time for us to step up!
Although we negatively judge our American neighbours repeatedly over their gun laws, when the weapon is a car (and it is used to seriously hurt or kill a cyclist or pedestrian) they are way ahead of us and find our system appalling. A large number of States have already passed Vulnerable Road User Laws and more are…
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Pat nominated for 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada
Your vote can help! Patrick Brown of Bike Law Canada has been nominated for Canadian Lawyer Magazine’s 25 Most Influential! We would not only like to congratulate Pat, but ask that you take the time to vote for him due to his efforts advocating for cyclists. Pat is a proud founding member and past director of Cycle Toronto (formerly Toronto…
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Driver Intentionally Runs Over Skateboarder (Video)
A car can be a weapon, and when used to kill, the driver gets a break. Recently in Toronto, a young skateboarder was run down and killed when a taxi driver intentionally smashed his taxi into him. The driver was sentenced to four years. The sentence has been criticized by some as too stiff, and…
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Door Zones: A Dangerous Game of Russian Roulette For Cyclists
Advocacy / Bike Law Canada / Bike Law Colorado / Bike Law Illinois / Bike Law Louisiana / Bike Law New York / Bike Law USA
Dooring crashes. You know the danger if you live in any U.S. or Canadian city where older roads have been retrofitted with bike lanes. Those bike facilities are often shoehorned into the space next to car parking. When car passengers open their door without looking, they can hit passing bikers. Here’s how Daniel Flanzig, a…
