A new law in Ontario requiring motorists to stay one metre away from cyclists while passing has resulted in only seven charges so far this year, including two charges in Toronto.
The Ontario Attorney General's Office says a total of 19 motorists have been charged under Section 148 (6.1) of the Highway Traffic Act, which came into effect on Sept. 1, 2015. The law was introduced last year to protect cyclists, by mandating that all drivers must leave a metre of distance between their car and a cyclist when passing.
Twelve charges were laid in the first four months of the law, from September to November of 2015. However, numbers have been down through the summer months of 2016, with only seven charges across the province from May to July. No charges were laid from January to April.
Less than half of the charges were laid in Toronto, where eight total offences have been logged since September.
Under section 148 (6.1) of the Highway Traffic Act: "Every person in charge of a motor vehicle on a highway who is overtaking a person travelling on a bicycle shall, as nearly as may be practicable, leave a distance of not less than one metre between the bicycle and the motor vehicle and shall maintain that distance until safely past the bicycle."
