As a Toronto resident, I was…

As a Toronto resident, I was shocked to hear of the provincial government making a move to remove bike lanes in the city of Toronto.

1. For one, Bloor has been blocked for ages to construct the bike land. And it is getting so close to being done.

It seems absolutely insane to scrap all of those efforts at the point that we are at. So close to actually having them installed. Where actual data could be collected on the impact of traffic and how much they are used.

One of the immensely special things of Urban locales is that they are bikeable. As an avid bike rider, this is to me one of the things that make Toronto great. That I can bike across the city.

I have been very impressed over the years at the new bike lanes. Grateful for them, as a biker but also as a driver. I have a car share membership and find myself driving in the city 2-4 times a week for 30min-1hr. And there is a greater relaxation as a driver on roads that have dedicated bike lanes.

I don’t agree that the provincial government should be overriding the municipal in the decision around bike lanes. The provincial government is representing a vast amount of people across the province, of which a very small percentage would be bike riders or use biking as a mode of daily transportation. Thus their knowledge and expertise would be elsewhere. Toronto as a city has a huge number of people who use biking as a daily mode of transportation. It is an important part of the transportation strategy in a city of this size.

A crucial one.

Please support bike lanes.
And at the very least keep them long enough to collect actual data about their impact on traffic.

Of all the places I struggle with driving in the city, I would name the entry points, the 401 highway and the 400 highway. Those to me are the most stressful driving experiences.