I live in Toronto and…

I live in Toronto and commute one hour by bike to my place of work. I also own a car and sometimes drive to work. And of course I also ride transit when that makes most sense. The best system is one that enables all three. People who need to drive can drive, but there need to be options for every mode. I am very careful when I ride my bike and always obey traffic laws. On roads without separated bike lanes, I’ve been hit by cars twice. The new lanes in Toronto on Bloor and College and earlier on Queens Quay have likely saved my life. They’re also packed during commuting hours. I and many others park our bikes on main streets and spend money in those establishments. Alternatives to removing bike lanes, which are live traffic lanes? Could we look at removing parking from main streets? Or adding turning lanes to avoid one car blocking a bus or streetcar full of people? Also, more investment in transit would help. What won’t help is taking away a safe, efficient travel option for people trying to get to work and get home to our families. That just puts more cars on the road and creates worse gridlock. Also, I ride my bike year round. There are really only a few stormy days when I can’t. Many others do the same.