August 29, 2023 - Thousands of cyclists in Toronto are faced with a potentially deadly Hobson’s choice claims Luis Lara Palacios, a law student at the University of Windsor, in the Toronto Star. Do they join pedestrians with a head start to cross at many city intersections, currently illegal for cyclists in Ontario, or wait for the light to change for road vehicles and increase their risk.
Officially known as Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs), pedestrians have a three to seven-second advance crossing before motor vehicles are given the green light. Yet Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act requires cyclists to obey traffic lights just like any other vehicle on the road, despite the well-known fact that intersections are hot spots for collisions between motor vehicles and pedestrians or cyclists.
Quebec has already made crucial changes to its Highway Safety Code and a New York City pilot project, allowing cyclists to advance with LPIs, was made permanent when no conflicts or near misses were observed.
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