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A new poll finds that while most Canadian drivers and cyclists believe separated bike lanes are a good thing, many respondents aren’t eager to see more built in their communities.
The poll, released by The Angus Reid Institute, randomly sampled 5,423 Canadian members of the Angus Reid Forum in an online survey and analyzed attitudes surrounding bike lanes and conflicts between motorists and cyclists across the country.
The survey found that in the eight urban centres analyzed in the poll (Montreal, Halifax, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, and the 905), the most commonly held belief was that bike lanes are a “good thing.”
In Toronto and the 905, approximately 60 per cent of respondents said bike lanes are a good thing. Eighty per cent of Montreal residents, 64 per cent of Halifax residents, and 76 per cent of Winnipeg residents also agreed that bike lanes are a positive addition to city streets.
When you move further west, attitudes surrounding bike lanes shift slightly but still remain more positive than negative.
About 42 per cent of Edmonton residents, 46 per cent of Calgary residents, and 53 per cent of respondents from Vancouver believe separated bike lanes are a good thing, according to the survey.
“The belief that separated bike lanes are a good thing is the majority view in every metro area in this survey except those in Alberta, where it is still the most common view, though held by fewer than 50 per cent of respondents,” analysis accompanying the survey read.
“Similarly, more than seven-in-ten Canadians agree with the statement, ‘In general, bike lanes make a community a better place to live,’ while fewer than half (48%) agree that, ‘Ultimately, roads are for cars, not bikes.’”
But the positive attitudes toward bike lanes did not translate to equal support for more cycling infrastructure in many urban areas.
“In two metro areas – Calgary and Edmonton – respondents are more likely to say there are too many separated bike lanes than too few. Metro Vancouver residents are split, while east of Winnipeg, the call is for more lanes than fewer,” the survey said.
In Toronto, 22 per cent of respondents said there were too many bike lanes while 49 per cent said there were too few. In the 905, 29 per cent said there were too many and 42 per cent believe there are too few.
“What you find in the city of Toronto and the 905 is that there is a sense that the region could do with more separated bike lanes,” Shachi Kurl, the executive director of the Angus Reid Institute, told CP24 Thursday.
“Toronto is actually a little more cyclist-friendly. I’m not talking about the safety aspects but just in terms of attitudes towards wanting to see more bike lanes, seeing them as good things rather than negative things.”
But even in Toronto, where attitudes appear to be more positive toward cycling, the majority of respondents (58 per cent) still said they believe cyclists are more often to blame for conflicts on the road.
The majority of people surveyed in the poll said they do not see much conflict on the roads but not surprisingly, higher rates of conflict were reported among those who live in large cities, where cycling rates are higher.
In Toronto, 60 per cent reported seeing “quite a bit” of conflict, while 40 per cent said they do not see much conflict between the two groups.
“When you see conflict between drivers and cyclists, (there is) very much still a driver mindset out there on the roads because let’s face it, there are just more drivers than there are cyclists. People tend to look at cyclists being responsible for those conflicts,” Kurl said.
Age, it appears, also plays a role in the perception of who is at fault.
“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,” the survey said.
“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 poll speculated that the greater sympathy for cyclists among those 18 to 34 may be due to the fact that this age group has a “greater propensity” to ride a bicycle.
In the poll, only seven per cent of Canadians surveyed said they ride a bike multiple times per week, compared to 16 per cent who use transit, and 78 per cent who drive a vehicle.
“Not coincidentally, those who ride a bicycle multiple times per week are considerably more likely to blame drivers for disputes between the two groups on the roadways. The much larger portion of the population that drives a vehicle multiple times per week, meanwhile, is more likely to blame cyclists. Frequent public transit users are divided on this question,” the survey read.
Interestingly, the poll also found that 67 per cent of respondents agree that too many cyclists don’t follow the rules of the road while a similar number of those surveyed (64 per cent) agree that too many drivers don’t pay close enough attention to cyclists on the road.
“Majorities agree with each of these statements across all provinces and metro areas, as do majorities of frequent cyclists and drivers, suggesting that each group sees room for improvement within its own ranks,” the survey analysis said.
The poll, which was conducted between March 6 and March 15, has a margin of error of plus or minus two per cent, 19 times out of 20.
