I am a senior (67 yrs) who…

I am a senior (67 yrs) who uses Toronto's bike lanes as often as I can. This past week I was able to head downtown 6 times by bike, and the bike lanes on Bloor, College, University, Roncesvalles and other streets made that experience both more enjoyable and considerably safer.

If these bike lanes did not exist, I would still be cycling much of the time, taking up a lane that cars wanted to be able to use. But my safety would be at considerably greater risk. Drivers would, as I have experienced on streets without bike lanes, allow me much less space when trying to navigate past me. I would feel the need, frequently, to occupy the centre of a traffic lane so as to lessen the risk of a passing car crowding me into a dangerous situation. I would, in certain situations, be taking up more space than I currently do in a dedicated bike lane. That does not reduce congestion. But it does increase the likelihood of unpleasant interactions with an angry driver who feels that my desire for a safe commute infringes on their right to the lane I am attempting to safely share with them.

My daughter was grazed by a car, no injuries ensued, a few years back. And a friend of my son was killed while riding her bike in broad daylight on a Toronto street that did not have a bike lane.

No decrease in the time it takes a driver to move through the city is worth the life of a cyclist. We must make our cities easier to navigate using non-polluting transportation options; options that also contribute to the health of our entire population.

Bike lanes make our cities better. Legislation such as Bill 60 makes them worse... less safe, more unfriendly.