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Behind the Bloor bike lane snafu
Re Bloor Bike Lanes Poised For A Comeback (NOW, June 19)?
Ben Spurr accurately sets out the official status of the on-again, off-again initiative for bike lanes on Bloor.
Reading between the lines is more complicated.
True, a 2011 city report said bike lanes would lead to “severe impacts on traffic and parking,” but the apparent source of that statement was an earlier feasibility study that we understand wasn’t completed, and [was] certainly not made public.
We obtained the unfinished study by way of a Freedom of Information request and could only find references to minimal or very localized impacts on traffic or parking.
More importantly, when city staff measure traffic, they still only count cars, as if the failure to bring four wheels and an exhaust pipe means you don’t matter.
In Toronto, adding bike lanes usually means a big increase in cycling traffic. For example, after the installation of bike lanes on Jarvis, there was actually an increase in overall traffic.
Bloor is tapped out when it comes to cars, but there’s plenty of room for more cycling and therefore very positive impacts on overall traffic.
Albert Koehl
Bells on Bloor, Toronto
Choking bike safety on Bloor
The Bloor bike lane meanies, in the form of Fordist councillors Denzil Minnan-Wong, John Parker, Mark Grimes and Michelle Berardinetti, are choking bike safety measures on what could be a great road for biking, with benefits to transit, too.
How sadly typical that there has to be an environmental assessment to draw a line of paint on the road for the greenest mode of transport.
We deserve a single long, smooth, safe east-west link.
Hamish Wilson
Toronto
Canada Day for different reasons
Recently I had a conversation with someone regarding his plans for the Canada Day long weekend. “I’m not really into the whole patriotism thing,” he said.
I might have shared the same lack of enthusiasm some years ago.
It’s commonly perceived that our neighbours to the south are far more patriotic than we are. They are more of a melting pot. Is this difference why some of us feel indifferent to Canada Day?
Growing up in Canada after immigrating with über-European parents left me feeling confused about my Canadian identity. I wasn’t sure for a long time whether I was more Polish or Canadian. It seemed like I was in a constant teen-angst-induced limbo, leaning more toward one or the other in order to fit in.
I discovered that I was distinctly both and that this is what it meant to be a Canadian. It meant being different was okay. What a marvellous revelation.
Is that not something worth celebrating this Canada Day?
Bo Martyn
Toronto
Mo people, mo problems
Gail Fairhurst’s letter concerning the Martha Reeves & the Vandellas/Smokey Robinson bill at this year’s Jazz Festival (NOW, June 27-July 3) took me aback. Calling the wristbanded attendees inside the event tent “elitists” was not only very impertinent, but inaccurate and unfair.
People lined up for hours in the sun to see the bands in question, and here she states she endured riding the TTC for an hour to get there. What elitist stands in line for hours, especially for a free concert?
Luckily, the organizers bothered to provide [TV] screens.
I’m sorry Fairhurst missed out on seeing the concert up close like she wanted to, but next time [she should] check ahead instead of ranting and insulting people who had the common sense to think a bit further ahead. After all, proletarians love Motown, too!
Julian Bynoe
Toronto
Luminato lights it up
As a lover of the arts on a regular income, I’ve been able to travel the world for opera, theatre and music festivals. By sheer luck, I’ve been in the right place at the right time, from watching a dance premiere at the Palace of the Popes in Avignon to seeing an original theatre production at the Galway Arts Festival in Ireland.
Recently, I [took in] several shows at Luminato because I am one of the many admirers of the brilliance of Rufus Wainwright. What I never expected was to be so blown away by the other great spectacles that brought Chinese opera and baroque music to life.
No words can describe how amazing these performances were. I came for Rufus, and I left for Luminato.
Ron Vine
Hamilton
Way off on Wente
I don’t get why people like John Semley apparently enjoy scraping the bottom of the barrel of society rather than [seeking out] higher attainment. His criticism of Margaret Wente’s article (NOW, June 24) suggests he’s limited to taking shots at truly clever and gifted writers to hide the fact that his shorts really do stink.
JR
Toronto
Rofo’s thing for homos
Rob Ford does not support homosexuality. As much as I disagree with that point of view, that is his right. But as mayor, he represents the entire city, and when there is an event for which Toronto is internationally known and which helps bring in tourist dollars, he should put his personal views aside and support the spirit of his city. By not doing so, [he is allowing] any remaining legitimacy he may have to slip away.
Saurav Das
Toronto
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