Wednesday, September 12, 2007

City concludes major study on driver perception

The City of Toronto has concluded a major study of driver's perceptions of cyclists. It hired a team of ten cyclists to survey driver's stuck in traffic, Toronto police provided safe zones to facilitate and ensure no delays, in the downtown area bounded by Dufferin St., St.Clair Ave., and River St. Drivers were asked to respond to one question, "What is your opinion of cyclists in Toronto?". The following are the results of the survey, 1021 drivers surveyed.

"Nice shorts asshole!" - 18%
"I cannot hear you over the TV" - 14%
"Get off the fucking road" - 13%
"A good cyclist is a dead one" - 11%
"They should grow up" - 10%
"Make them ride on the sidewalk" - 10%
"Get them off the fucking sidewalk" - 9%
"Suck my (various human/animal genitalia)!" - 7%
"Is that what I hit?" - 6%
[Numbers have been rounded]

The City had planned to survey 2500 drivers but there were several injuries reported by staff. The most serious one involved a surveyor being impaled by the hood ornament of a 1982 Cadillac, the injuries are said to be non-life threatening. The driver involved in this incident will not be charged, it was felt that charging the driver would traumatize them.