When cycling for long distances or along busy roadways, cyclists are being encouraged to carry identification in case of an emergency.
The topic of bike safety recently came up at the Grey Highlands Police Services Board meeting.
“There is no way to identify cyclists,” said Grey County Warden, Paul McQueen. “If they are considered a vehicle and the rider has no ID, should that be something we address in the future?”
The South Bruce OPP detachment issued a letter to the Grey Highlands OPP detachment in late June, outlining a reminder that bikes are considered vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act.
The correspondence spurred further discussions around the issue of identifying cyclists who may be involved in an emergency while cycling.
“Think about the demographic who are doing this kind of long-distance cycling. There is a safety issue there,” said Insp. Jennifer Ormsby, detachment commander with Grey Bruce OPP. “What if they get hit by a car 20 kilometres from home, how do we know who they are? We don’t.”
Insp. Ormsby says at one point in her career she was working at a detachment that held a yearly bike race where riders did not carry any identification.
“Unfortunately, we had an individual who had a heart attack and died on the course and we just had to wait until his family arrived to try and ID him,” she said.
According to the Ministry of Transportation bike safety guidelines, cyclists are not required to carry registration, license plate or license.
A local cyclist agrees carrying identification is important while riding.
“Yes, there would be a concern if a cyclist cannot be ID'd in an accident,” says Noelle Wansbrough, president of the Collingwood Cycling Club. “This has never happened to me or anyone I know as most of our members ride in groups or with another person and carry ID.”
He says most cyclists try to carry some form of identification, either a license or health card.
“I would rather carry ID than have a licence on my bike. Some form of ID when riding alone is a good idea,” he says.
He adds that Road ID wristbands are a good option for any outdoor enthusiast.
The wristband provides an easy way for riders to carry identification, preventing any delays in contacting family members or locating medical records in the event of an emergency.
“Most serious cyclists have a Garmin or a cycling computer and these now have a GPS tracking feature as well as a crash alert,” Wansbrough added.
The Garmin watch recently added an assistance feature that will send a message with real-time location to preloaded contacts in the event of a crash or emergency.
However, the assistance feature does require users to have their smartphone connected.
