Premier Doug Ford minced no words about his thoughts on some new bike lanes in East Toronto. Construction began in September and only recently finished, and already people are complaining. The new infrastructure aims to connect lanes on Bloor Street across the city, creating a safe way for cyclist to traverse Toronto.
Extending existing bike lanes
“The Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension between Runnymede Road and Resurrection Road aims to make travel on the street safer, more inviting, and attractive for everyone. The project will provide road safety improvements, cycle tracks, and public realm upgrades to meet Toronto’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan and Climate Change Action Plan goals,” the City of Toronto posted. It was approved by City Council on June 14.
In a press conference which had nothing to do with bikes at all, Ford expressed his views on the new lanes.
He said and thinks they should be removed as he never sees cyclists using them.
BREAKING NEWS: Mayor of Toronto Doug Ford declares he does not support extending the Bloor Street bike lanes into Etobicoke
Oh wait… pic.twitter.com/KzNXV5U3rD
— Cycle Toronto (@CycleToronto) October 31, 2023
Petition to re-evaluate
He’s not the only Torontonian complaining about the crucial infrastructure. Residents in Etobicoke, a borough of Toronto, launched an online petition calling on the city to re-evaluate the Bloor Street West bike extension and newly installed lanes.
The petition appeared on Monday and listed several complaints, including what one man called “potentially inaccurate bike usage data from the High Park counter, noticeable congestion due to lane reductions, decreased business footfall, potential delays for emergency vehicles, and the observed scarcity of cyclists.”
“We advocate for a re-evaluation to ensure a harmonious and safe balance between bike lanes and vehicular traffic, emphasizing the need for Bloor Street to retain two lanes of traffic in each direction,” Cody MacRae, the petition’s creator, said.
Worse still, drivers aren’t seeming get the message that the lanes are for bikes…not parking.
Lanes full of cars
David Shellnutt, a.k.a The Biking Lawyer, shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing a slew of cars parked on the newly created Bloor Street West bike lanes.
“That’s funny, these painted lanes seem to be getting tons of use,” Shellnutt posted.
We hear there’s a petition going around to remove the newly installed Bloor W
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…