ICBC reports more injuries after bike lanes were installed.

Local media brings to light an ICBC report showing that Vancouver commuters – travelling by bus, in a taxi, carrying deliveries or in private cars - are getting injured more frequently after segregated bike lanes were introduced.  Over the four year period before bike lanes were installed, there were nearly 150 accidents a year resulting in about 50 casualties a year.  Since the bike lanes were installed, more than 60 commuters are injured every year.  This represents a 31% and a 20% increase in accident casualties in 2009 and 2010 respectively. 

Getting used to the new layout is not the answer.  A full year after segregated bike lanes were installed, in the second half of 2010, there were still 25% more accidents than in the years leading up to the installation of segregated bike lanes.

The reason is simple:  Introducing segregated bike lanes makes intersections more confusing.  And confusion leads to accidents.  Traffic studies throughout the world show that.  But City Hall chooses to ignore those facts.