'Right hooks' blamed for half of Laurier bike lane collisions

About half of the collisions between motorists and cyclists using the LaurierAvenue bike lane in Ottawa involve vehicles turning right into the path of oncoming bicycles, according to a new report released Tuesday by the city.

"Right-turning vehicles continue to be the greatestthreat to cyclists in the corridor, accountingfor 50 per centof collisions," according to the safety review by Dutch transportation consultant Mobycon.

Right-turning vehicles also "represent the most frequent manoeuvre involved in pedestrian-related collisions," according to the report. "This is by far the most significant type of collision."

It's a phenomenon known among cyclists as a "right hook," and has been a consistent source of complaint since the lane opened.

Right turn in cyclist's death

The truck that struck and killed cyclist Nusrat Jahan in 2016 was turning right onto Lyon Street from LaurierAvenue. The driver of the truck was later charged withcriminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death, and stop lines were moved farther back from intersections along LaurierAvenue in an effort to prevent future collisions.

"Just because of the size and visibility involved with trucks [it] makes it quite difficult to mix trucks and cycling traffic together,"Alex deVries, a spokesperson for Bike Ottawa, said.

There have been more than 220 collisions reported since the bike lane was opened, or about five per month.

On the plus side, the LaurierAvenue bike lanes are proving popular. Since the they opened in 2011, the number of cyclists who use the route daily has nearly doubled from 2,331 in 2012to 4,128 trips in 2016.

• City marks 2 million trips on the Laurier Ave. bike lane

Despite that rise, the collision rate involving bicycles fell by 30 per cent over the same period, whilecollisions involving pedestrians alongLaurierAvenuedroppedby half.

The safety review ofOttawa's first segregated bike lane, running between Bronson Avenue and Elgin Street,started in October 2016 and concluded in August 2017.

The review relied on bothresearch and user surveys, and is aimed at coming up with future improvements to the lane.

Majority experienced near miss

The majority of respondents said they had either witnessed or been involved in a near miss or collision in the last year mostly at intersections.

The surveys also found that "conflicts" between cyclists and motorists happened most often when there was no physical separation between the two.

Most of the collisionsresulted in damage to bikes or vehicles, but about one-quarter involved an injury, usually to the cyclist involved.

Recommendations on how to improve the infrastructure included more separation between bikes and cars, addressing blind spots near loading docks and dealing with right-turn collisions.

"It's the long-term suggestions that are going to make the biggest difference,"deVriessaid.