Every day I cycle to work…

Every day I cycle to work down the Yonge and Bloor Street bike lanes.

For my first eleven years in Toronto, I avoided biking because I was too afraid of how dangerously drivers behave on the roads here.

Trying out some group bike rides reminded me of my love of cycling, and pushed me from avoiding it to doing over 3000 km in a year on the Bike Share and then more than 2000 km after I got my own bike.

Cars pose a profound threat to cyclists. When two things collide, the amount each accelerates depends on its mass. If your car weighs ten times as much as a bike or cyclist, they get ten times as much acceleration with you. Same if the car weighs 20 times as much. Cyclists need protection from the danger of cars and trucks, especially since many drivers are distracted by communication and entertainment systems.

One factor that has kept me stuck on cycling is that it has become the fastest way around the city. I get places twice as fast on a bike as on transit, and see all the cars backed up in gridlock as I go by. Having decent cycle infrastructure helps keep the roads open for people who choose to drive.

Save the bike lanes!