What a difference a few more protected bike lanes make.
At this time last spring, we were about to witness the deadliest year for cyclists in recent memory. Four deaths in a matter of weeks prompted a mass “die-in” at City Hall in June and calls for politicians to do something, anything, to stop the carnage.
More than 150 cyclists showed up to demand the city adopt a zero-tolerance policy on road fatalities, boost the annual cycling budget to $20 million and build a minimum grid of protected bike lanes and bicycle boulevards.
But council seemed powerless to do anything. Those representing downtown wards mustered a response. They got together to pass a motion to reduce speed limits on side streets in the core to 30 km/h. Mayor John Tory voted against it, saying he wasn’t in favour of a “blanket” speed reduction.
Fast-forward to 2016, and Tory, who has always spoken in tongues when it comes to bike lanes, now says cycling is “the way of the future.” Who’s been whispering in his ear?
Hard to know what effect 150 people playing dead in the middle of Nathan Phillips Square might have had on changing the conversation. Or, for that matter, the growing realization on the city’s part that it can be held legally culpable for not making our streets safer for everyone. But grassroots movements alone can’t effect change. The political will must exist as well.
And for the first time in a long time, there are people at the highest rungs of the city’s bureaucracy who understand bike economics. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that the city’s new director of transit and sustainable transportation, Hilary Holden, and the city’s top bureaucrat, city manager Peter Wallace, are both known to ride their bikes to work.
But we’ve also come to realize what European urban planners already know: the importance of cycling to any city’s transportation system. It can be transformative. Cities that cycle are not only richer for it – studies show streets with bike lanes are good for business – they’re happier.
Tory’s remarks unleashed a tirade in the Star last week courtesy of long-time car columnist Jim Kenzie, who posited that “cycling is not – I repeat, not – and never will be the way of the future.” That’s because, Kenzie seemed to be arguing, Toronto is in car-loving North America and, oh yeah, it’s cold in the winter. But his screed comes off as more plea than fact.
Take a look around. Toronto is experiencing a cycling re-awakening. It’s not quite a renaissance yet we’ve been at similar crossroads in the past, only to backpedal. It happened during the dark days under Rob Ford (R.I.P.), when bike lanes on Jarvis and in Scarborough were ripped out.
But backtracking seems unlikely. Toronto has reached critical mass, and it’s a beautiful thing. Even motorists, save for the usual suspects in luxury cars, have accepted the fact.
It’s curious that with gas prices the lowest they’ve been in a decade, cycling is more popular than ever. Bike superhighways have entered the lexicon. Norway – which, it should be noted, is very cold, not at all bicycle-friendly and, like Canada, a big producer of fossil fuels – is building an entire network of bike highways to connect its 10 largest cities to their suburbs. Price tag: a cool $1 billion.
Toronto, too, has come full circle. We were once known as one of the best cycling cities in North America – before everybody else caught up. We could be again. There’s a lot of positive momentum on the cycling file.
Plans for bike lanes on Bloor some two decades in the making are now in the offing. And a new 10-year bike plan is promising to connect gaps in the cycling network. A long-awaited road safety strategy is expected in June. The province has gotten into the act, signalling its support for a vulnerable road users law.
There’s potential for great things. The demand for cycling infrastructure is pushing into the suburbs, all the way up to Steeles in the Yonge corridor, and to neighbourhoods along transit routes in the deepest parts of Scarborough and Etobicoke, according to mapping done by the city in 2011.
Cycling advocacy groups are taking root in unexpected places, including Scarborough. The demand for bike infrastructure in the suburbs will only grow as battery-assisted bikes gain in popularity and make longer trips easier.
That’s not to say there aren’t still obstacles to overcome. Bike lanes are still not plowed as quickly as they could be in winter months, forcing more riders onto already crowded transit. And the city’s Bike Share program could do with some serious expansion. It has received a large infusion of cash, and there are plans to set up docking stations at GO stops. But for cycling to really take off here, the program needs to reach into lower-income neighbourhoods where residents may be unable to afford bikes.
Cities that have done that have created the impetus for politicians to make streets safer. The velo revolution is near. Talk about a door prize.
enzom@nowtoronto.com | @enzodimatteo
