Last night, I got to check out the yongeTOmorrow public consultation before the presentation started. With today marking Earth Day, I though I would mark the occasion by not just recapping that particular consultation, but also highlighting a couple of other initiatives aimed at making our streets safer and more inviting for people instead of cars.
Four years ago, Community Bikeways hosted their first ride along the Loop Trail; a 72 km loop along the Martin Goodman, Humber River, Finch Hydro Corridor, and Don River Trails. At the time, I only made it to Finch West Station. The group has since held another ride in Fall 2025 – you can read Jun’s recap here – and now one held today. About fifty people braved the cold, hail, snow, rain, sunshine, and obstacles for today’s ride to advocate for the need to close the gaps along this trail.
If you have been advocating for safe streets for a while, chances are you have heard of “The War on Cars” podcast hosted by Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear from New York City. The podcast got its name from former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford who frequently used that term to discredit streetcars and cyclists. Last year, Gordon & Goodyear put out a book called “Life After Cars” and after waiting a few months on hold from the library, I finally got to check out a copy last week. Let’s dive in to see what it has to offer.
In 2019 and 2020, the City of Toronto held three public meetings regarding the yongeTOmorrow project from College to Queen Streets, while the corresponding environmental assessment was approved by City Council in February 2021. Five years after that approval, yet ANOTHER public consultation has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 21 (5:30 – 8:30 PM) at the Central YMCA (20 Grosvenor Street) and feedback will be collected until Tuesday, May 5. Let’s take a look at what has changed since the previous round of consultations including the timeframe and design.
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| All images from this post are from the City of Toronto |
Today was a beautiful Good Friday to be outside with highs of 20’C expected. Since I haven’t checked the East Don Trail since December and there was some other construction happening along the Lower Don Trail, I took out Raccoon – my Brodie gravel bike – for its first ride of the year!
