I live in Toronto and I am…

I live in Toronto and I am frequently a driver, cyclist, and pedestrian. I am a nurse at a hospital in the city.

As a driver in the city, my routes to work, recreation, and errands are frequently made more difficult by parked cars on major roads. For example, I frequently drive on Bayview and Mt Pleasant. These roads are one lane each direction in many spots due to parked cars. Cars have to merge back and forth, or stay in one lane causing lengthy traffic. Alternatively, I take side roads, where I often feel that I’m creating unsafe conditions with lots of pedestrians and other road users.

As a cyclist, I have been commuting by bike far less than I used to because my life is at risk. Frequently vehicle drivers pass within half a foot of me, drive erratically by swerving around me to scare me, or honking and yelling. I am a strong cyclist, and I’m not cycling slowly. I keep to the side of the lane so cars can pass. And yet, I have had many occurrences where my commute to work might result in my death. I also cycle recreationally, again the feeling is my hobby might result in someone killing me due to their negligence or entitlement.

Bike lanes aren’t perfect - again, as a strong cyclist, I’m often faster than many other cyclists and bike lanes make it difficult to pass. However, without bike lanes, and with feeling increasingly unsafe cycling in Toronto, my only option to cycle in the city is to take the lane to provide myself with more space to cycle defensively. My commute to work is cut in half when I cycle. Instead of contributing to traffic in my car, I can quickly get from home to work. All I want is to feel like I’m going to make it there and back safely.