Winnipeggers don't seem to like cyclists, poll suggests

A new poll suggeststhere's bad blood on Winnipeg streets between cyclists and nearly everyone else.

"There seems to be kind of a road war on the go in Winnipeg," said Mary Agnes Welch, lead author of a Probe Research poll done earlier this summer."I was surprised at the animosity towards cyclists."

Fifty-sevenper cent ofWinnipeggerssurveyed said theythink cyclists are inconsiderate to drivers, while 48 per cent found cyclistsinconsiderate to pedestrians on roads and sidewalks, according to the online poll.

While manyaren't happy with the behaviour of cyclists on sidewalks androads, that didn't translate into support for designating dedicated sections of the road for bicycles.

Probe Researchfound 27 per cent see downtown bike lanes as a low priority,while another 12 per cent ofWinnipeggersdon't considercreating morebike lanes to be apriority at all.

More than 40 per cent did say bike lanes were a priority, but not top of the list.

"In a way, cyclists just can't win," said Welch, aProbe research associate.

Cyclists, on the other hand, were split on the question of driver behaviour.

Forty-eight per cent of bike riders said motorists were inconsiderate, while slightly fewer, 42 per cent, feltdrivers were considerate of their space.

• Rise in bike-related injuries in Winnipeg, report says drivers find cyclists 'annoying'

Last year in Manitoba, cycling injuries landed 119 in the hospital, up slightly from the year before.City of Winnipeg staff arein the midst of reviewing the idea of making helmets mandatory for all cyclists.

The Probe poll found nearly 70 per cent of Winnipeggers supporta mandatory bike helmet law despite Bike Winnipeg coming out against the idea saying the policy would discourage cycling. Women wanted helmets mandatory more than men.

"I think this poll does show that cyclists perhaps have to have a little tune up of their own attitudes.Cyclists themselves could probably do something to improve these relationships," said Welch.

A State Farm Insurance survey released Thursday found thatmore than half of Canadian drivers who participated said they cyclists on the road are "annoying."

Last year, city council approved a $334 million bike and pedestrian strategy that will see an expansion of bike paths in Winnipeg.

• Winnipeg council approves bike, pedestrian strategy

Probe Research'spoll was conducted between June 30 and July 4 using an online panel.A probabilistic sample of the size used would yield a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 per cent, 19 times out of 20.