Cycling by the Numbers
Cycling statistics in Canada highlight safety concerns and environmental benefits.
Here is some of what the numbers tell us.
Sharing the Road
What measures can help cyclists and drivers safely share the road?
To keep everyone safe, most Canadian road users (85 per cent) feel both motorists and cyclists need to remain alert and not distracted while on the road.
– CAA polling, 2021
78 per cent of Canadians think leaving one metre or more of space between drivers and cyclists is important for safely sharing the road.
– CAA polling, 2021
Nearly four in five Canadians (79 per cent) feel shoulder checking for cyclists when opening doors, turning or changing lanes is integral.
– CAA polling, 2021
Commuting
The number of Canadians using bicycles as their main method of commuting nearly doubled between 1996 and 2016.
– Globe and Mail, 2016
The number of bicycle commuting trips in Canadian cities is about three times higher than in U.S. urban areas.
Replacing a car trip with a bicycle trip saves the traveller nearly $2/km.
Safety
An average of 74 Canadians die in cycling collisions each year; 73% of those incidents involved a collision with a motor vehicle.
Road safety rules may not have been respected in approximately 1 in 3 cycling fatalities.
Areas where cycling is more prevalent tend to have lower rates of bicycle-related collisions and fatalities.
Most cycling injuries and deaths occur between 4pm and 8pm—during rush hour and as it gets dark.
Infrastructure
31%
of Canadians say they would cycle more if cycling infrastructure was better.
– CAA polling, 2020
40%
of Canadians feel lanes separated by physical barriers would encourage them to cycle more.
– CAA polling, 2020
30%
of Canadians who cycle at least occasionally have increased their cycling activity since COVID-19 began.
– CAA polling, 2020