YRP’s One Metre campaign aims to change cycling behaviour

Collisions involving cyclists are on the rise throughout York Region, and local officials joined the York Regional Police at their Aurora headquarters on Saturday to launch a new enforcement campaign intended to improve the situation.

The One Metre Cycling Safety Campaign launched June 1.

At an announcement which saw several dignitaries, including mayors of York Region's Northern Six communities, get on their bikes, the YRP said the campaign will run throughout this month and include increased enforcement for both cyclists and motorists.

The campaign and enforcement will be carried out with the help of drones, they say, “to identify dangerous behaviours on the road and educate drivers that cyclists must be given at least one metre of space when passing.”

“Every summer as cycling continues to increase in popularity, thousands of recreational and community cyclists take to the roads in York Region to make use of more than 4,000 kilometres of paved roads and more than 1,000 kilometres of cycling routes,” said the YRP. “However, since 2019, six cyclists have been killed in collisions with motor vehicles in York Region. There has been a significant increase in cyclists being involved and injured in motor vehicle collisions over the past two years. From 2022 to 2023 there was a 52 per cent increase in occurrences involving cyclists being injured in such collisions. This year to date we have seen a 34 per cent increase in occurrences involving cyclist injuries compared to this point in 2023.

“The strategic objective of the One Metre campaign is to change the attitudes of both drivers and cyclists and improve the relationship between these groups, improving driving and cycling behaviours while increasing knowledge and understanding of the laws, will lead to safe streets and safe people, two of the York Regional Police Road Safety Strategy goals.”

By Brock Weir