Keep ActiveTO Petition
Pledges: 5587
Let's keep ActiveTO!
ActiveTO makes space for people on the occasional weekend, but the trails are crowded every day. We want this space made permanent.
No more waiting for a weekly announcement. No more costly set up and take down with a constant police presence. No more overcrowding on the Martin Goodman Trail. Toronto needs spaces where people can ride bikes safely all the time.
- On Lake Shore, it’s time to permanently reallocate some car lanes for active transportation.
- Similarly on Lower Bayview, the temporary multi-use path must become permanent to help with crowding on the Lower Don trail.
- And most crucially, the ActiveTO network of on-street, protected bikeways must be made permanent so people can safely cycle for transportation every day, not just on weekends.
Keep the momentum going by sharing this petition so that ActiveTO bike lanes become permanent and major road openings can continue.
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ActiveTO was created during the pandemic to make it easier for people to move around the city and get exercise for their mental and physical health in a safe, physically distant manner.
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Temporary ActiveTO bike lanes started in 2020 include:
New in 2021 thanks to our work together:
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2020 Major Road Openings included:
2021 Major Road Openings include:
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As soon as the bike lanes and Major Road Openings started, people started using them in huge numbers. Bike ridership on Danforth Avenue went up by more than 40% compared to before bike lanes were installed. When half of Lake Shore W was opened to active transportation, there were as many people on bikes as there were cars pre-pandemic in both directions. There were as many as 21,000 people riding bikes and 4,400 people walking on weekends.
The bike lanes and road openings have been so successful the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild (TORR) recommends that they be expanded and made permanent because they promote a healthy city, have societal and economic benefits, and encourage greener living.
While the success of ActiveTO has been obvious, many areas of Toronto have been untouched by its benefits. In 2021, the permanence of ActiveTO should not only be secured, but expanded to more areas of Toronto.
The fate of ActiveTO is not guaranteed
Support from TORR and high levels of usage may not be enough to keep ActiveTO if City Council does not hear support from constituents. The City initially recommend against continue ActiveTO on Lake Shore W, but they heard from you and have changed course. We need you to keep up the work so that ActiveTO can have life beyond 2021 and we can build back better from the pandemic.
The permanent future of the program will be decided by Council in fall 2021.
Let’s make sure all Major Road Openings continue, are expanded, and the ActiveTO bike lanes aren’t ripped out faster than they were installed: sign this petition in support of keeping, expanding, and improving ActiveTO.