Submitted by yvonne on 17 September, 2009 - 14:44

After several hours of debate at the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on September 14th, 2009, councillors opted to refer both the mandatory helmets and licensing motions to staff for further study.  They also realised that both matters must be decided at the Provincial level beacuse they are outside municipal jurisdiction. More information here.

Please see the attached summary document for the results of a recent survey we conducted to gain insight into the opinions of our members and the broader cycling community.

Toronto Cyclists Union Executive Director, Yvonne Bambrick gave deputations, and answered extensive questions from Councillors on the PWIC committee, as well as several visiting councillors, regarding both motions.

Based on her own sense of the issues, and backed by survey feedback gathered in advance from bike union members and non-members, she argued against both mandatory helmets for adults 18 or over, and the licensing of cyclists for a variety of reasons, including the following...

Making helmets and licensing mandatory creates barriers to entry and discourages the uptake of cycling.  Mandatory helmets add to the perception that cycling is too unsafe to choose, and is an easy way for politicians to be seen to be taking cyclists safety seriously, rather than working towards the meaningful integration of bikes into the transportation network.  Licensing, which has been tried and abandoned by major urban cities like Los Angeles, is virtually unenforceable, a waste of financial, human and police resources to set up and enforce the system, and is unecessary given that cyclists, vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act, are already subject to the same rules and fines for infractions as motor vehicles.  There are additional issues related to the licensing of children, and those who come into the city from other jurisdictions.