Last night was a very positive election outcome with Mayor Olivia Chow being re-elected by a healthy margin (54% to 41%) and progressive gains such as Chiara Padovani’s ending of Frances Nunziata’s 41-year political career. However, there was one setback in which Jamaal Myers lost to former Liberal MP Shaun Chen. With the election over, it’s time to get back to reality and use my day off to revisit the unfortunate circumstances associated with the Bloor bike lanes in Etobicoke.
For those who aren’t already aware, Toronto’s next municipal election is happening tomorrow with polls open from 10 AM to 8 PM. You can get the necessary information – including where to vote and which ID to bring – at Toronto’s election website. While I haven’t hidden my desire to re-elect Olivia Chow for Mayor and to stop Brad Bradford – especially with his calls to rip the Bloor bike lanes in Etobicoke – it’s time for a last-minute recap of which councillors to support.
The City of Toronto recently announced two public drop-in events for the Eglinton & Allen Intersection Study to review a long list of design options for that intersection. The first will be on Saturday, May 30 (12 – 3 PM) at Fairbank Public School (2335 Dufferin Street) and the second will be on Tuesday, June 2 (6 – 9 PM) at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute (730 Eglinton Avenue West). My initial impression was that most of the options were clearly car oriented. Let’s go through them and give the project the roasting it deserves! 🔥
With Toronto’s next municipal election nine months away, we need to take a serious look at what’s at stake. There are many people dunking on current Mayor Olivia Chow whether it’s for record breaking property tax hikes – 9.5% in 2024 – or not being bold enough on things such as housing and countering Doug Ford’s attacks on bike lanes. For the record, I wished she could have been more supportive on open streets. While there is a need to hold Mayor Chow and the rest of city council accountable, we also need to be careful to not put in someone who could be even worse.
Case in point is Brad Bradford.
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is held on the third Sunday in November. Last year’s event drew a large turnout of 200 to 300 people because of Bill 212 and six cyclists killed in Toronto that year. However, this year’s was more subdued with about 40 people even with Bills 56 and 60 prompting further attacks on road safety, though the colder temperatures didn’t help. Since Jun was unable to make it, I covered the event in his absence.
This morning, the Toronto Star revealed which bike lanes Ontario Premier Doug Ford wanted removed first which were Bloor from Resurrection to Clissold and Yonge from Merton to Millwood. While I was surprised The Kingsway part of Bloor would be left untouched given that’s where the hostilities were coming from, there are not any credible alternatives that can be taken for either of these two stretches. However, there is another problem associated with Bill 212 which urgently requires Toronto’s cycling community to call out Mayor Olivia Chow and City Council on.
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| Rendering of Sheppard Avenue East (via City of Toronto) |
One thing that has gotten a lot of attention this month in Toronto is speed cameras. On September 7, 2025, the speed camera on Parkside Drive – where Helen and I used to live near until 2022 – was cut down for the seventh time in less than 12 months! That camera was first put in place in 2022 in response to the crash in October 2021 which saw Valdemar and Fatima Avila get killed; something which prompted the group Safe Parkside to organize and demand a redesign of that street. On September 9, 2025, another 16 speed cameras were reported to be damaged across the city. You would think there would be calls for action to hold those perpetrators accountable?
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| A downed speed camera on Parkside Drive in May 2025 (via Faraz Gholizadeh) |
On July 31, 2025, 28-year-old Samuel Willetts – an aspiring cinematographer – died from a crash which happened two weeks prior at Church and Gerrard Streets. Unlike past cyclist deaths, this one didn’t get reported in the media until at least a week later, while the memorial ride wasn’t held until today to accommodate out-of-town family members. Dozens of cyclists gathered at Bloor and Spadina to start the ride.
The month of April brought some good news for Toronto’s cycling community with Justice Paul Schabas having granted an injunction until he can decide on Cycle Toronto’s Charter challenge against the bike lane removal aspects of Bill 212. While that decision may not be made for another few months, there are several public consultations which we need to get involved with. Let’s round them up here! 😊
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| The Leaside-Danforth public consultation from March 2024 |
Happy Halloween, everybody! With Halloween and this Sunday’s daylight savings time change being among the most dangerous times of the year for vulnerable road users, Doug Ford’s war on bikes has taken an even scarier turn. When Bill 212 was originally announced on Monday, October 21, Schedule 4 only stated it would require municipalities to get provincial approval to build bike lanes which remove traffic lanes, as well as conduct reviews of existing bike lanes. Today, the Ford government confirmed Bill 212 would be amended to require the removal of bike lanes along parts of Bloor Street, University Avenue, and Yonge Street while the Environmental Registry has been updated accordingly. It’s beyond disgusting how the Ford government would throw almost fifty years of calls for bike lanes on Bloor out the window and it’s worth providing an update on where things stand.
Queen’s Park was back in session on Monday after an extended holiday and the first order of business was Bill 212 called “The Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act”. This bill would require municipalities to get provincial approval for bike lanes that remove traffic lanes – except for those tendered and started construction once the bill takes effect – as well as review existing bike lanes. To make matters worse, Premier Doug Ford mentioned he plans to remove existing bike lanes on Bloor, University, and Yonge. Hundreds of people came out yesterday in response to this irresponsible (and unprecedented) legislation which you can submit comments on until Wednesday, November 20.
All right, folks! The worst-case scenario for Toronto's cycling community has come upon us! On Tuesday, Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria announced cities will be required to get provincial approval to put in bike lanes which remove traffic lanes. Cities would also need to provide data about bike lanes installed over the past five years which could put large parts of Bloor-Danforth, University, and Yonge at risk. On Thursday, Premier Doug Ford said, "We need to and will remove and replace existing bike lanes on primary roads that are bringing traffic in our cities to a standstill”. This has been motivated in part to his own distaste for the Bloor bike lanes in Etobicoke which was the subject of last night's town hall hosted by Councillor Amber Morley. You can read Jun's report here.
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| Premier Doug Ford calling for the removal of the Bloor bike lanes in Etobicoke on October 31, 2023 (CPAC) |
Apparently, a lot has happened for cycling in Toronto while I was on vacation in Uzbekistan. A complete street has been built on Eglinton from Avenue to Chaplin, a group ride from Willowdale to Downtown attracted 80 people, and the Ford government irresponsibly proposed restricting bike lane installations which remove traffic lanes. (Please sign Cycle Toronto's petition opposing this if you haven't already.) I was also informed about a complete street project happening on Dupont which the City is collecting feedback until Wednesday, October 30. Let's review what's being planned for Dupont, as well as some hotspots and background information.
Unfortunately, Toronto’s cycling community had to gather tonight for the fifth time this year to pay their respects for a fallen cyclist. The latest victim was a 24-year-old female who was struck and killed on Bloor Street east of Avenue Road. While I wrote about the initial death and how to address some of the design fails at this site and others across the city, it was essential to write about tonight’s memorial ride.
By the time Helen, Mozzie, and I got to Matt Cohen Park, the park and sidewalk was already packed with people.
Just before 9:00 AM this morning, a 24-year-old female cyclist was killed on Bloor Street east of Avenue Road; making it the fifth cyclist killed this year with five months to go. If you refer to Toronto’s Vision Zero dashboard or Toronto Police’s fatal collisions dashboard, this year has been the deadliest on record for Toronto’s cycling community. However, Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists put up six ghost bikes in Toronto in 2018; two of which didn’t count per the City and Police dashboards. One of them was for a 60-year-old male who collided with a parked delivery van in March 2018 while 19-year-old Aaron Rankin-Wright’s death in June 2018 was targeted and involved stabbing. Regardless of which metric you used, the unprecedented number of cyclist deaths this year deserves some serious reflection.
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| Miguel Joshua Escanan's ghost bike from August 2021 was not far from today's crash site |
Tonight, Toronto’s cycling community took part in their fourth memorial ride in as many months; this time for 39-year-old Ali Sezgin Armagan who was killed at Avenue & Elgin on Tuesday, April 30. With eight months to go, this year has already become one of the deadliest for those who bike in this city per Toronto's Vision Zero dashboard, though it hasn’t been updated for the most recent fatal crash.
This afternoon, an e-bike rider was killed at Avenue Road and Elgin Avenue; making it the fourth cyclist killed in Toronto this year. To add insult to injury, this isn’t the first time a cyclist was killed in an area where bike lanes were proposed but never acted upon. The same thing happened to Miguel Joshua Escanan in August 2021 at Avenue and Bloor. Let’s recap where things stand with Avenue Road, as well as demand action to get these safety improvements done urgently.
Next Thursday's Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IEC) meeting will feature two items that will affect cycling and micromobility. The first item is Phase 1 of the eglintonTOday Complete Street project from Bicknell Avenue to Mount Pleasant Road and the second is a Micromobility Strategy for Toronto. While it’s unfortunate the Avenue Road Study didn’t make the cut, let’s review what these two items have to offer and some suggestions on what to advocate for with your written submission or live deputation.
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| Existing conditions on Eglinton east of Winona during Sunday's Earth Day Ride |
Last Monday, 59-year-old Vlad Zotov with the Morning Glory Cycling Club was killed on Bayview Avenue just south of Evergreen Brickworks. This latest tragedy marks the third cyclist killed in Toronto within the past three months with the other two happened in Scarborough at Brimley & McNicoll and near Warden & St. Clair. By the time Helen and I arrived at Bloor & Spadina, Matt Cohen Park was packed unlike any of the other memorial rides I could remember. During the ride, someone mentioned over 400 cyclists turned out tonight, while there was a lot of media present.
On Sunday, February 18, a 19-year-old woman was biking eastbound on the Bayview – Bloor ramp where she was hit by drivers of two motor vehicles. While it is technically illegal to bike on this ramp, the sign saying no pedestrians or cyclists allowed is not apparent as soon as you turn right. You have to complete a U-turn in order to see it given drivers could use this turn-off to turn left to get onto to Castle Frank Road. Let’s take a look at how this intersection can be improved to make it safer for everyone.
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| A Google Maps view of the existing conditions at Bloor and Castle Frank |
