OK! So I haven’t had the
chance to write here for almost three months. Part of it was because I was on
vacation in the Middle East in December (more on that soon), but things have
not been idle on the cycling front this month with some developments worth
sharing.
Early Signs of Optimism
2015 Coldest Day of the Year Ride on Adelaide |
To call the Richmond-Adelaide
protected bike lanes a success is a serious understatement. Since the bike
lanes were first installed in 2014, ridership increased more than tenfold to
become Toronto’s busiest bike route with collisions reduced by 73% and minimal
impact on motor vehicle users. Given these findings, city staff finally recommended
making these bike lanes permanent, though it baffles me how it could take
almost five years to get from approval to this point. With the Infrastructure
and Environment Committee (which replaced the Public Works and Infrastructure
Committee) voting unanimously to keep the bike lanes, the motion should be slam
dunk at City Council next week and could be one of the few times this term where
a cycling motion unanimously passes city council. If only the same could happen
when REimagining Yonge returns to City Council in a couple of months …