Get Involved During Bike Month 2024!

Happy Bike Month to all who celebrate!

While I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s Bike to Work Day group commute – you can read Jun’s blog post about it here – there are a few things for Toronto’s cycling community to get involved with this month. These include the Oakridge Neighbourhood Streets Plan, the Avenue Road Study, complete street consultations for Trethewey and Danforth-Kingston, and the overall bike plan. Let’s take a quick look at these projects to see what they have to offer.

A throwback to the 2018 Bike to Work Day group commute from High Park

May 2024 Bloor Bike Lane Construction

Yesterday after work, I took my scooter – which city council unfortunately voted to continue banning that day – to Bloor Street in Etobicoke to check the progress of bike lane construction west of Aberfoyle Crescent which officially started. Here are a few photos I took from this latest site check.

Back to the Bike Plan Drawing Board

This Thursday, Toronto’s Infrastructure and Environment Committee will review an update to the bike plan along with this year’s proposed cycling projects. The update effectively throws the bike plan approved in 2016 out the window; instead opting for more flexible three-year plans and a city-wide cycling network to be developed over the long term. What a slap in the face! Especially when you consider Toronto had a $16 million annual cycling budget (excluding federal and provincial funding) and five cycling fatalities in 2018, yet they built only 25 kilometres of on-street cycling infrastructure since 2016?!?!

The Bloor bike lanes need to be extended west from Shaw Street (pictured) to High Park

Twelve Days of Bicycles - Six Noodles Swaying

If there is one reason why cyclists should never be underestimated, it is for their creativity. One such instance occurred when the Ontario government approved Bill 31, a part of the first #CycleON action plan. The changes included increased fines for distracted driving and dooring cyclists, legalizing paved shoulders and contraflow bike lanes, and requiring drivers to give at least one metre of space when passing cyclists.[1] The last item was advocated by Parkdale High Park MPP Cheri DiNovo since 2010 and was a recommendation in the June 2012 Ontario Coroner’s Report.

Twelve Days of Bicycles - Three Book Rides

For Toronto’s cyclists, there is no shortage of group rides to choose from; ranging from Bells on Bloor rallies with 1500 cyclists to smaller food rides. There is one group ride which stands out and combines my two favourite activities – cycling and reading – which is called The Reading Line.

Ribbon cutting at Book City

Turning Cycling Setbacks into Opportunities

While the previous post discussed recent setbacks for Toronto’s cyclists such as the Gardiner East vote and the three deaths in two weeks, advocates also need to turn setbacks into opportunities! Not only through lessons learned from the Netherlands and elsewhere, but by recognizing positive developments close to home and applying them to future challenges. During Bike Month (May 25 – June 25), there are at least five positive developments which deserve recognition.