MONTREAL - A Montreal emergency room doctor believes the number of cycling accidents has gone up since Bixi bikes arrived in the city.
Dr. Jean-Marc Troquet, chief of emergency medicine for the McGill University Health Centre, is recommending an in-depth study of accident statistics. He says the vast majority who end up in the ER suffering from head trauma weren't wearing helmets.
Bixis were introduced in the spring of 2009 and there are no official statistics on how they have affected the accident rate since then.
Tarek Razek, Chief of Trauma at the MUHC says that around 15 people come in with bike accidents every day.
"I don't think people fully realize what risk they're taking," he said concerning people pedaling without head protection.
One Bixi rider interviewed by CTV explained why she – like so many others riders – does not wear a helmet.
"I don't have a helmet in my purse or bag when I jump on and off," said Isabelle Bi. "My average trek is five minutes."
In spite of what some medics believe, Montreal police do not see any evidence that the Bixis are leading to an increase in accidents.
"We don't have numbers or statistics to make the connection between more accidents," said Commander Pierre Rousseau. "It's the behaviour of the riders that we're concerned about."
Rousseau says that the force has been issuing more bicycle-related fines than in previous years.
