This time next year, will Jarvis St. have bike lanes?

A growing number of councillors and cycling activists think so.

When council voted 26-19 to scrap the Jarvis lanes almost one year ago this week, the political dynamic at city hall was drastically different than it is today. The Ford administration has since lost its ability to push through hot potato items.

From the waterfront to the budget to transit, council has largely fought back against ideologically driven policy. And if the recent plastic bag ban is any indicator, councillors are willing to retaliate when it’s forced upon them.

For Councillor Shelley Carroll, this new climate paints an optimistic picture for Jarvis.

“I think the odds are good. I’m having trouble trying to understand why we’re wasting this money ($272,000) to remove bike lanes that are working . . . the drivers are used to it,” she said.

According to those quietly working on a campaign to save this symbolically important bike route, the left wing is about three votes shy with a number of options. Councillor Josh Matlow, who initially voted to remove the cycling routes, now believes it would be a waste of time and money.

Centrists Frank Di Giorgio and Chin Lee backed removing the lanes, but have since distanced themselves from the Ford Bloc. And while conservative Gary Crawford typically tries to stay on the right side of the administration, the Scarborough Southwest councillor has a significant number of environmentally conscious constituents.

Dave Meslin, a well-respected community organizer leading the Drivers for Jarvis initiative, hopes to get conservatives like Karen Stintz and John Parker on side by focusing on the financial argument.

Stintz said she plans to stick with council’s decision, but the current price tag “gives me pause.”

Daniel Egan, manager of cycling infrastructure and programs, said it will cost $272,000 to put Jarvis back to five lanes sans cycling routes, due to overhead wiring, signal hardware, paint and new signage.

An April report from transportation services found there were fewer collisions between both motorists and pedestrians and motorists and cyclists since the bike lanes were implemented. A city staff report found that reducing the number of car lanes on Jarvis would add about two minutes in travel time for drivers. Preliminary tests found that, on average, the impact was either below or on par with those estimates.

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Public works chair Denzil Minnan-Wong wishes the mayor’s opponents would just drop this issue.

“Council already made its decision. . . . This is not about the bike lanes, this is about politics for them,” he said, noting a separated bike lane on neighbouring Sherbourne St will be completed by early fall.

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