November 30, 2016 Vol. 13 No. 24

There’s renewed interest in mandating sideguards for trucks, and just as much disagreement as ever over their efficacy.

The U.S. Department of Transportation says that half of all cyclists killed by a truck first impact the blind side of the vehicle, as collisions typically occur when the truck does a right-hand turn at an intersection. The issue goes much deeper than that, of course, and involves more than just heavy trucks. Toronto Police statistics show that 541 cyclists have been hit by cars since June 2016. That’s nearly 10 collisions per day.

After recent cyclist-vs-truck deaths in both Ottawa and Montreal, plus written pleas from both the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Ottawa’s mayor, the federal government is once again studying sideguards that fill the gaps along a truck or trailer’s wheelbase. A new task force created by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators will not only re-open the book on old-school sideguards, but will also study new-school technology like cameras and collision mitigation sensors that may help prevent cyclist/truck interactions in the first place.

I’m placing my own bet on a high-tech solution eventually.

“Transport Canada believes there is a potential to save more lives if efforts are focused on improving the ability of large commercial vehicle drivers to detect vulnerable road users around their vehicles,” says Transport Canada spokesman Daniel Savoie. “Emerging technologies, such as camera and sensor systems, have the potential to improve safety for not only cyclists and pedestrians, but also for other motorized vehicles. To this end, the department has initiated a research program to investigate collision-avoidance technologies with the aim to help drivers of large commercial vehicles detect vulnerable road users and prevent impacts.”

CRITICS FROM WITHIN THE TRUCKING community cite the reckless actions of many cyclists on city streets as a key cause of these accidents. Some even want cities to register and further regulate cyclists, an idea not widely accepted. Their greatest fear is that Transport Canada’s latest investigation may end in a mandate for collision-avoidance technology that simply isn’t affordable after years of stagnant rates.

Sideguards, on the other hand, have been the go-to option to enhance intersection safety in some of North America’s largest cities. New York, Boston, Portland, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., along with the Montreal suburbs of Westmount and St. Laurent and the City of Halifax have all made sideguards mandatory for heavy-duty trucks in municipal fleets. Chicago, about the same size as Toronto, is currently looking at the sideguard option after six cyclists died there so far this year, all at the wheels of heavy-duty trucks.

Sideguards are far more common in Europe than here, and I believe they’re pretty much universally mandated, though not on all vehicle types.

DR. DAVIS ROBERTS, A UNIVERSITY of Toronto assistant professor of urban studies, says “…there is just not enough [road] space to share…It gets boiled down to who really belongs. Right now it’s about who backs down first. It’s a waiting game, and there hasn’t been significant political leadership on either side.”