Article content continued

Simpson said ordinarily, when a large number of people support an issue, more of them will say they somewhat agree, instead of strongly agree. In the case of bike lanes, the situation is reversed, with 43% strongly supporting additional bike lanes, and 38% of respondents saying they somewhat support the proposal.

More than half of all university graduates surveyed said they strongly supported bike lanes, with another 34% said they somewhat supported them. The results show that younger people are more likely to support bike-lane expansion, but only by a margin of 5%.

The poll’s findings also suggest that while the public is in favour of truck side-guards to protect cyclists from becoming trapped under trucks in the event of a collision, they feel the financial cost is too high during a time with a fragile economy.

New Democrat MP Olivia Chow proposed legislation that included making truck side-guards mandatory after Toronto cyclist Jenna Morrison, 38, collided with a truck and died Nov. 7. Both Morrison and the driver of the vehicle were attempting to make a right-hand turn onto a downtown Toronto street at the same time when they collided. Morrison was pinned under the truck. Police laid no charges.

A month earlier, on Oct. 11, Ottawa cyclist Danielle Nacu died after driving into the open door of a parked car; she subsequently was run over by another vehicle.

Chow’s proposal to install guards — estimated by Ipsos to cost between $600 and $2,600 depending on the type of guard and truck — would prevent a person from being stuck in the space between the vehicle’s wheels.

While 58% of those surveyed said they did support the mandatory use of guards, 60% said the cost was too high at a time when the economy is at risk from outside pressures.

Support for the guards is highest in Quebec, at 70%, but lowest in Alberta with only 40% support.

The Internet-based poll was conducted Nov. 16-20 and surveyed 1,017 people. The poll has an estimated margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Postmedia News

[np-related]