I Support The Bloor Street West Bike Lanes
The Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension in Etobicoke between Runnymede Road and Resurrection Road was approved by City Council in 2023 to make travel on the street safer, more inviting, and attractive for everyone.
The government of Ontario under Premier Ford tried undermining local democracy to remove them. The local MPP based her reelection campaign on pledging to rip them out and lost. Meanwhile Cycle Toronto and our co-applicants won a historic legal challenge blocking those removals as reckless and arbitrary, a ruling the province is now appealing (that decision remains pending).
Now in the leadup to October’s municipal election, opportunistic candidates are stirring up a bad faith culture war to pit cyclists vs. drivers.
Let’s be clear. You’re not stuck in traffic because of bike lanes. Pretending otherwise isn't based on data. The province’s own experts and internal government documents show what we’ve been saying all along: ripping out Toronto bike lanes won’t reduce congestion, and it will put lives at risk.
This isn’t about ideology. It’s geometry. There simply is not enough space on our roads for every person to choose to drive for every trip. And a connected and protected network of bike lanes enables more people to choose to ride a bike. And there’s no mythical network of side streets that can replace arterial protected bike lanes like Bloor.
Now more than ever, it is imperative to show our support for Bloor and cycling in every part of the city because:
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Bike lanes are proven to improve the safety of all road users
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Bike lanes reduce air pollution and boost public health
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Bike lanes support local businesses
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Bike lanes relieve traffic congestion and give more people more transportation options
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Bike lanes allow more people to choose cycling as a safe and fun option
Most importantly, we have no alternative. Bloor St West serves as a spine for the entire cycling network in the city and will be a critical part in making Etobicoke connected to the rest of the city in a post-Bill 60 and Bill 212 world.
Support Cycle Toronto in stating that we support candidates that cite data and facts, not bad faith culture war arguments. We sign in support of keeping, upgrading and eventually extending the Bloor St West Bike Lanes.
(Comparison of Bloor Street Extension existing bike lanes versus side streets.)
