“Cyclists are a pain in the ass.”

That was the title of a YouTube video widely circulated in the weeks leading up to the 2010 municipal election. The words came from the mouth of then-councillor Rob Ford during a city council debate about bike lanes.

The provocative quote comes within the first 20 seconds of the video, but those who listened to the full seven-minute speech might have been pleasantly surprised. Ford publicly declares his fondness for bicycles and his concerns about cycling safety. He even shares a story about teaching his 4-year-old daughter how to ride a bicycle in Etobicoke. He reminds his fellow councillors that “every single person here learned to ride a bike when they were 3 or 4.”

Ford says “cyclists are putting their lives at risk every time they go on the road,” and his solution is both simple and practical: “We have to widen our sidewalks, split them basically in half, pedestrians on one side, closest to the stores, and the cyclists on the other side. It will work in this city.”

This might not be the right solution for every street, but the idea of physically separating cyclists from motor traffic, where possible, is a good one. It encourages more people to try cycling. The concept is not new, nor radical. It’s just common sense, and that’s why separated lanes are being used in cities all across the world, from Berlin to Manhattan to Montreal.

Many of Toronto’s suburban avenues have ample room for dedicated bike paths beside the sidewalk. In fact, Toronto already has a beautiful five-kilometre boulevard bikepath on Eglinton Ave. It extends from Jane St. to Martin Grove, right through the heart of Ford’s voter base, allowing Etobicoke cyclists to ride safely.

It’s easy to demonize and judge each other based on our worst moments and quotes. But upon closer inspection, Ford’s infamous anti-bike speech happens to contain one of the most supportive bike policy proposals ever put forward on the floor of city council. And during his campaign, Ford proposed “a comprehensive network of bicycle trails across the city to provide a safe, convenient ‘backbone’ for bicycle transportation across Toronto.”

This is just one example of how nothing is black and white at city hall, although it is often appealing to pretend otherwise. It’s much easier to break things down into bike vs. car, downtown vs. suburb, or left vs. right. But bicycle safety is not a left-wing issue, nor is it a downtown issue.

Cycling is a billion-dollar industry in Canada. More than 65 per cent of Toronto households have at least one bicycle and the fastest growth is actually in suburban areas. I grew up in suburban North York and rode my bike all the time on quiet streets, in parks and on the sidewalks of Bayview or York Mills. All my neighbours had bicycles, too. And while Don Cherry talks about “pinkos who ride bicycles,” anyone who has ever stepped into a suburban Canadian Tire knows bikes are as much a part of our culture as hockey.

The reality is, families all across Toronto own bicycles and the more places they can ride safely, the better. Ford himself said it best: “We have green boulevards in Etobicoke, that are about four or five yards wide. If we have to take some of the green space, widen the sidewalk and have a bike-only lane, it will work.” I agree.

Where there is common ground, let’s move forward. We are fortunate not to have official political parties at city hall, allowing councillors to act as independents, listen to each other and move beyond rhetoric. It would be a shame if partisan politics got in the way of working together on a public safety and health issues such as cycling.

There’s no doubt that some debates at city council will be heated and divisive. But by assuming that every issue can fit neatly into a Ford Nation vs. Left-wing Pinko framework, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to work together and develop solutions that make Toronto a better place for everyone.

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After all, if our city councillors spend the next four years fighting each other on every issue rather than working together, that would be a real pain the ass.

Dave Meslin is a motorist, cyclist and co-editor of the recently published book Local Motion: The Art of Civic Engagement in Toronto.