The Windshieldink app was developed to enhance personal vehicle security with road safety in mind. When we think of road safety, we cannot only think about the cars and trucks sharing our roads every day. We also need to be cognizant of cyclists and how drivers are now sharing the roads with the increasing numbers of them.
We are also seeing more actions impacting those in the cycling community. Therefore we want to share a couple of interesting items relevant to the community.
Did you know that ….
CAA has roadside assistance for bicycles?
The Canadian Automobile Association South Central Ontario branch provides bicycle roadside assistance to their members (click here to see details). CAA has seen an increase in their members using both cars and bicycles and wants to better serve this demographic.
The CAA bike assistance service is provided within a 45 minute timeframe and is currently only available within CAA South Central Ontario territory on certain roads.
When called, CAA service agents will do their best to get the cyclist back on the road. If an immediate repair is not possible, the agent will transport both the bicycle and the cyclist.
CAA will not unlock bicycles or cut security devices since they cannot verify ownership of a bicycle. Bike roadside assistance coverage includes conventional bicycles and those with an external electric geared motor. Motorcycles, electric scooters, and mopeds are already covered under the CAA Plus and Premiere memberships.
All in all its good news from CAA by recognizing the growth of cycling as a means of public transportation. Check with your local branch if you are part of the cycling community.
Canada Post vows not to park in bike lanes
Canada Post has recently been in the news regarding efforts in instructing their drivers not park in bike lanes in Toronto. If a CP driver cannot find a safe location to park for a pickup or delivery, they must continue on their route and return any undelivered items back to the depot. You can read Canada Post’s official announcement here.
Cyclists should be happy about this announcement but might be surprised to learn that this has not already been a standard policy. This raises questions about the driver directives with other delivery companies and why Toronto was the only city named in the Canada Post announcement.
We’ll continue to monitor this situation to see how it plays out over time. Follow PEO Erin Urquhart on Twitter (@TPS_BikeHart) to see day-to-day bike lane enforcement here in Toronto. It is evident that some Canada Post vehicles, as well as other delivery service vehicles, continue to park in bike lanes.
Harmonizing fleet safety with public safety
As we mentioned at the beginning, cyclists and drivers share the roads. The Windshieldink Fleeter platform is a way to harmonize fleet safety with public safety. With Fleeter, all businesses can link a corporate email address to all their vehicle license plates in order to facilitate public feedback or alerts on their vehicles. Those using Fleeter can demonstrate their commitment to safer road sharing. You can learn more about Fleeter here.
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