Removing bike lanes would be…

Removing bike lanes would be dangerous and deadly, and it would be especially dangerous and deadly if it were to happen on busy city streets like Bloor St., Yonge St. and University Ave. in Toronto (as Doug Ford has already stated he will do, against the will of Toronto’s City Council).

I myself have personal experience of the dangers posed to cyclists when there are no bike lanes on busy city streets, as I was hit by a car while cycling on Bloor St. in October 2014 between Bathurst and Spadina, before a bike lane was installed along that stretch of Bloor. This collision happened because a driver didn’t signal or check his blind spot before trying to park nose first along the street while I was riding my bike to the right of his car, and because there were no separated bike lanes at the time. This resulted in me suffering a dislocated right shoulder that required a trip to the ER at Toronto Western Hospital to reset my shoulder; I have suffered permanent nerve damage to my right arm and right hand ever since.

THIS TYPE OF COLLISION WOULD NOT HAPPEN TODAY ON THE SECTION OF BLOOR ST. WHERE I WAS HIT BY A CAR BECAUSE THE BIKE LANES THAT HAVE BEEN INSTALLED THERE SINCE THEN PROVIDE A PROTECTIVE BARRIER FOR CYCLISTS FROM CAR TRAFFIC. However, THIS TYPE OF DANGEROUS COLLISION WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IF BIKE LANES ARE REMOVED FROM BUSY STREETS LIKE BLOOR ST. Even worse, deadly collisions that kill cyclists will continue to occur on city streets that have no bike lanes.

Beyond the question of safety, the Ford government’s proposal to remove bike lanes further infringes on the role of municipal governments to make decisions that are in the best interests of their residents. Furthermore, their claims that bike lanes increase congestion, have a negative impact on local businesses and prevent emergency services from reaching people in distress in a timely fashion are simply not backed by data. In fact, the available data show that the opposite is true in terms of bike lanes easing congestion and having a positive impact on local businesses, and that bike lanes do not prevent emergency services from reaching people in need. Removing bike lanes will make emergency services busier, however, as ambulances and police officers will have to deal with the increasing number of collisions between cyclists and cars that will result in a far greater number of preventable serious injuries and deaths on city streets. The Ford government’s baseless claims are, therefore, nothing more than a craven attempt to score political points with drivers that will have dangerous and fatal consequences.

Leave our municipal governments and our bike lanes alone! Please, Mr. Ford, stay in your lane!