Bloor bike lanes are back on the agenda

Annual protest rides have taken place since the lanes were excluded from the first Toronto bike plan, and an environmental assessment was subsequently cancelled, but a pilot project for bike lanes on Bloor between Shaw and Avenue Road is headed to the Public Works Committee in April.

Protected bike lanes will create a more vibrant Bloor. More than 70 business owners and 8,000 residents have signed the Bloor Loves Bikes pledge. There are good reasons for that. Research from the field suggests that:

• Cyclists spend more money. Portland State University researchers found that customers who arrive by bike spend 24 per cent more per month than those who arrive by car.

• Bike lanes boost business.

• If you build it, they will come. Protected bike lanes on main streets increase cycling volumes significantly. On Sherbourne, volumes tripled after the installation of the protected bike lanes.

Minimum Grid test

Some 73 per cent of Torontonians say that the lack of cycling infrastructure keeps them from riding more often. Last year, city staff announced the development of a Ten Year Cycling Network Plan, which will be submitted with funding options of up to $25 million per year and include corridors along Bloor, Danforth and Yonge. The votes on whether to accept the plan at Public Works in May and city council in June will be a key test of this administration’s commitment to building a city-wide grid.

A vision for zero tolerance

In 2015, 64 people were killed in traffic collisions on Toronto’s streets, including four cyclists. New York City has adopted the goal of eliminating serious injuries and deaths from traffic collisions by 2024. Public Works chair Jaye Robinson has led a similar initiative here, directing Transportation Services staff to create a Road Safety Strategic Plan. Vision Zero is the only moral goal for our streets. The plan goes to council for a vote this summer.

Bike Share breakthrough

Launched in 2011 with 1,000 bikes and 80 stations, Bike Share Toronto (formerly known as Bixi) was taken over by the Toronto Parking Authority in 2013. This year it will expand to a number of GO Transit stations, thanks to a cash infusion from Metrolinx. Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong has also talked about setting up bike stations at subway stops. Indeed, bike sharing systems work effectively as an adjunct to public transportation. But Bike Share hasn’t been expanded since its inception in 2011. And is lagging behind other cities. There’s a quick fix: the program should be doubled immediately and extended to High Park in the west end and across the Don Valley to the Beaches.

Jared Kolb is executive director of Cycle Toronto.

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