Are cyclists supposed to walk their bikes in crosswalks?

Are cyclists supposed to walk their bikes in crosswalks instead of riding? They don’t dismount at crosswalks when I ride my bike and I don’t often see anyone doing it. – Lance, Toronto

In Ontario, the law says to get off your bike and walk across a crosswalk. That’s because bicycles are considered vehicles under the law.

“All cyclists must obey all traffic laws and have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers,” the Ontario Ministry of Transportation said in an emailed statement.

In Ontario, that law states that no one may “ride or operate a bicycle across a street” inside a crossroads the gold has pedestrian crossing (has dedicated crossing which is not at an intersection). This means you have to walk with your bike.

“Yes you are a cyclist [on your bike], you have to cross into a traffic lane like any other vehicle,” said Sean Shapiro, constable with the Toronto Police Service’s traffic services division. “Cyclists have this amazing ability to transform. They go from being a vehicle to wanting all the rights and freedoms of being a vehicle. …So they want to turn into pedestrians when they want to ride in the crossroad or on the sidewalk.“

Cyclists riding in crosswalks are “really causing a safety problem for pedestrians,” Shapiro said. “[A bicycle] it’s still a vehicle… It’s still traveling at a considerable speed.”

Rules vary by province and sometimes by city — but in cities including Vancouver and Halifax, riding a bike across crosswalks is prohibited.

Some cities, including Edmontonthey have some special crossings marked for both pedestrians and bicycles – and cyclists are allowed to ride in them.

Build more (and better) bike lanes?

Some people think that the crosswalk law should not be a crosswalk.

“I usually ride across [crosswalks] — not speeding and I make sure I’m watching out for pedestrians,” said Lanrick Bennett Jr., a Toronto bicycle advocate. “Sometimes that forward momentum is what actually keeps me safe — and I’d rather stay alive riding by bike, instead of putting yourself in unnecessary danger.”

Bennett said the crossing law is one of many laws — including the rule that Cyclists must come to a complete stop at stop signs – that should change because it doesn’t recognize that pedal bikes are different vehicles than cars or motorcycles.

“They’re two completely different modes of transportation,” Bennett said. “[Those laws] it should be fully updated for the times we live in.”

But Michael Longfield, executive director of the advocacy group Cycle Toronto, said building more bike lanes and including specific crossings and signals for cyclists is a better idea than changing the law.

“We don’t have the kind of cycling network that we really need so that people can get around and feel safe and protected,” Longfield said. “Often people will make other choices, [like] ride at crossroads because, from his perspective, that space [will keep them safe].”

Scott Butler, the executive director of Good Roads, a research and road research group based in Oakville, Ontario, agrees.

“The law is pretty clear, and I think it’s a surprise to a lot of cyclists,” Butler said. I think the other bigger [issue] it’s really making sure we put infrastructure in place that allows people to cycle safely.”

Toronto is behind We have a 2021 plan to add 100 more miles of new bike lanes by the end of this year, Butler said.

Common fault if you are hit?

If you are hit while riding your bike in a crosswalk, you may also be able to ask the driver who picked you upsaid David Shellnutt, a Toronto lawyer who specializes in cases involving cyclists.

“Just because a bicyclist is riding in a crosswalk doesn’t give a free pass to a motorist to hit them,” Shellnutt said. “Here we go it was a case where a police officer hit an illegal bicyclist in a pedestrian crossing… and the officer was still found 60 percent at fault because the judge said he should still have seen the guy.

Shellnutt, who walks his bike through crosswalks, doesn’t think the law should be changed.

“I understand why people don’t [get off their bikes]” Shellnutt said. “It doesn’t make sense for traffic flow and people’s transportation needs — but that’s because we don’t have the infrastructure.”

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