I have been riding my bike…

I have been riding my bike in Toronto for decades, and with the new bike lanes over the past few years, I'm finally feeling safe. And I'm not the only one, the numbers of cyclists has been skyrocketing. Rush hour on the Bloor or College bike lanes is just as busy as it is for cars. Bicycles, however, take up far less room than a car and thus come drivers fail to realize just how much the bike lanes are used. Take a look at the data on bike share for just an inkling of the increasing popularity of cycling (keeping in mind that many cyclists, like myself, prefer to use their own vehicles rather than a rental).

In August 2020, my mother -- then in her late 80s -- moved into a residential care facility at Mt. Pleasant and Merton. I almost always cycled there, and had to find a plausible route through some difficult territory -- Avenue Road and Mt. Pleasant clearly prioritize automobiles and the speeding between St. Clair and Bloor on both streets can be excessive. The arrival of the Yonge St. bike lanes changed everything. I could visit my mother safely by bike -- freeing the roads of another car and avoiding the underfunded and overcrowded TTC during the pandemic. Yonge St. between St. Clair and Bloor is a community, and should prioritize community use, not automotive speed, especially with Avenue Road and Mt. Pleasant so nearby.

Toronto would be moving backwards if the bike lanes are removed. This should be avoided at all costs. To truly lessen traffic congestion, construction projects need to be prohibited from shutting down car lanes (often just so workers can park their cars!) and condo projects should not be allowed to take up a lane.

The City of Toronto knows best about how to serve its population and I urge the Provincial government to recognize that they should not be in the business of micromanaging Toronto streets.