As someone who has lived…

As someone who has lived near Bloor Street in the High Park area, I have personally seen the effects of separated bike lanes. In short, Bloor Street has improved immensely since their introduction.

Before the bike lanes were introduced, Bloor Street was a mess and didn't serve motorists, cyclists or pedestrians well. As a motorist, I avoided Bloor for east-west travel. Now I use it on a regular basis. I also did not cycle on Bloor and discouraged others from doing so. Now I use it regularly to cycle to Bloor West Village instead of driving. Finally, the street is now safer for pedestrians than in the past. It is easier and safer to cross mid block with just two lanes to cross rather than four.

Removing the bike lanes on Bloor will be a retrograde step and shameful for both Toronto and Ontario.

I have only driven on University since the bike lanes were introduced but they appear to have a similar positive affect on the street. It is the other construction work on University that is causing congestion and certainly not the bike lanes.