Yesterday, about 30 people took part in the last Critical Mass ride of 2024. A reasonable turnout considering the Holidays, while the 2’C temperatures and lack of precipitation made for great riding weather. Here’s a picture of the group at the start of the ride.
While trying to describe 2024 from a Toronto cycling perspective, the phrase "flip turned upside down" from Will Smith’s “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” song had come to mind. Especially considering the record number of cyclists killed and the Ford government’s passing of their anti-bike lane Bill 212 (which also calls for accelerating Highway 413 construction). Let’s recap 2024 to see why that was the case.
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| Winter conditions along the Sherbourne cycle track this afternoon |
It’s hard to believe, but another year is almost over, and it’s been quite the rollercoaster with the Bill 212 fiasco and all. With two more weeks to go, a lot has popped up which warrants a roundup post of its own. This includes a couple of updates regarding Bill 212, the East Don Trail, the Ellesmere Complete Street project, and some upcoming group rides. Let’s dive in to see what December 2024 has to offer!
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| A banner ridiculing Doug Ford's war on bike lanes found over the Gardiner (via Martin Reis) |
This weekend saw two cycling events take place in Toronto and the two atmospheres couldn’t be any different with one being a protest ride and the other being a festive one. Let’s recap what happened during these two events.
With the passing of Bill 212 last week, it’s time to shift focus to getting rid of the Ford government at the polls while still pursuing direct actions such as last Friday’s well attended Critical Mass ride. MPP Joel Harden’s latest e-newsletter indicated the Ford government will be retaining their own contractors to remove 500 metres of the most western section of the Bloor Street bike lane – most likely within The Kingsway where opposition is strongest – and 400 metres of the Yonge Street bike lane by the end of this year. If we are to achieve electoral success, it’s worth identifying which ridings to target.
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| This November 2024 Critical Mass video by @hope2hope.bsky.social went viral on Bluesky |
Yesterday was a sad day for cyclists in Toronto, Ottawa, and across Ontario with the Ford government having passed the Third Reading of Bill 212. This bill would not only restrict where new bike lanes would be built, but also remove existing bike lanes on Bloor, Danforth, and University while preventing people from suing the government. This is despite over 24,000 signatures for Cycle Toronto’s petition and a broad base of opposition from planners to engineers, doctors, universities, organized labour, and several city councils including Toronto’s. Despite this major setback, the fight is not over and it’s time to put things into perspective.
Yesterday, over 1000 people gathered at Queen’s Park for the second “Fight for Bikes” protest two weeks after their highly successful début. It marked the third protest in a week against Bill 212 including Sunday’s World Day of Remembrance and Thursday’s delivery of two ghost bikes. Unlike other events which had feeder rides meet at a central location, this rally split into three rides along University, Bloor, and Yonge Streets.
