Bike lanes on city streets…

Bike lanes on city streets are something that cities should be responsible to look after and should not be controlled or restricted at a higher levels of government. Bike lanes and proper infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians along city streets along with traffic calming is what makes cities great and enjoyable placed to live.

The bills proposal to remove bike lanes in the favour of adding car traffic is exactly the opposite of how to alleviate congestion and will only create a induced demand for more individuals to choose to travel by car, as opposed to choosing other forms of transportation. These other forms of transportation include cycling, taking the bus, subway, tram, walking, and any other personal mobility devices.

Streets are meant for the people that live (and work) along them, they are meant to be destination points with large sidewalks, plazas, space for cyclists and bike lanes, with some efficient planning of street parking and dedicated store delivery zones. Streets are inviting places with plenty of space for pedestrians of all ages (pedestrians that are either on foot or on a bicycle), streets are meant to be traffic calmed and have low volumes of car traffic. Streets are a place where you go for a stroll, can do some shopping, or finish some errands. Streets are places for the local community and at the same time build the local community. Streets are a safe place for every one that uses them.

Roads are meant as a way to get you from point A to point B as quick as possible. Roads are high speed routes with no driveways, and no road parking (its called street parking for a reason). Roads don't care about the community they cut through. Roads are not destination points and generally do not have businesses along them. Roads also are dangerous places when not inside a car (because of the high speed). Example of a few Roads in Toronto include Allan Rd, a few sections of Black Creek Dr, Bayview Ave along the Don River, a very small section of Mt Pleasant Rd just north of Bloor Street.

The intention of removing bike lanes and great pedestrian infrastructure along city roadways like Yonge Street and Bloor Street and turning these Streets in Roads, like the few Roads i listed above, is detrimentally to the local community and the city as a whole. These streets in Toronto have become great destination points and have become something that we as a city should be proud of at a global scale. These Streets are places that attract both tourists and Canadians alike. Places like Bloor street and Yonge Street are areas families now consider to live along because they provide a safe and inviting location.

The city need safer streets with proper infrastructure planning for further traffic calming, while promoting other forms of transportation rather then relying on the car. The addition of bicycle lanes is a step in the right direction to tackle many of challenges the city is facing, making more vibrant communities along our streets will hopefully persuade more suburban residents with their children to move back into the city centre, and not choose to commute by car into the downtown core.

I would also like to add as a final thought, the government should make any decisions about the removal of any bike lanes with data driven approach. Safety of the most vulnerable users of a city street (pedestrians and cyclists of all ages) should always take priority over any vehicle traffic wanting to shave a few seconds or minutes off their commute time.