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January’s edition of Ring & Post includes an election reminder and invite to our Coldest Day of the Year ride. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
- Statement from the Executive Director
- Provincial election called for February 27th
- Coldest Day of the Year Ride 2025
- Cycle Toronto files injunction for Bill 212
- Shame on you, Stantec
- Improving accessibility: bicycles as mobility devices
- Cycle Toronto is hiring
- Tax Receipts are coming
- What are 'side guards', anyway?
- In the Media
- Social Media Spotlight
- Events
Statement from the Executive Director
"Driving is a privilege and those who threaten the safety of others have no place on our roads," declared Ontario’s Minister of Transportation back in 2021. That statement accompanied Bill 282 - Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021 which targeted aggressive driving, approved automated enforcement on streetcars, and closed outdated loopholes around collisions and “doorings”. It’s an issue I know too well.
Eight weeks ago, I got doored while riding in an unprotected, painted bike lane on St. George. It took major surgery to reassemble my femur. I’m still on crutches, off my bike, and facing a long recovery ahead.
Bill 282 wasn’t perfect. But it took real steps to improve safety for all road users.
That’s why I’m struggling to understand how the same government could pass something as dangerous and reckless as Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024 to rip out bike lanes in Toronto, undermining local democracy and putting lives at risk. (If you’re still buying that removing 19 km of bike lanes in a city with 5,300 km of roads will reduce traffic congestion, I have a jar of magic beans to sell you.)
This election isn’t about bike lanes. It’s about whether the province should override local decision-making.
Tell candidates you want real solutions to congestion and road safety—not slogans. You want MPPs who work with City Hall, not against it. Toronto needs a partner at Queen’s Park, not a bully.
On February 27th, send a clear message. Let’s get back to prioritising the safety of all road users. And when it comes to bike lanes, tell the province to stay in their lane.
-Michael Longfield, Executive Director
Vote like your safety depends on it - Provincial election called for February 27th
After months of rumours, it’s official: Ontario voters will be headed to the polls on February 27th, 2025. This snap election comes nearly 15 months before the province’s fixed election date.
Road safety is not a partisan issue. But when talking to candidates and preparing to cast your ballot, vote like your safety depends on it.
To be eligible to vote, you must be:
- 18 years of age or older;
- a Canadian citizen; and
- a resident of Ontario.
Regular voting hours are 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on Thursday, February 27th. Advance voting and mail-in options are also available. Find out more here on the Elections Ontario website.
When you head to the polling station, you must bring your voter card and one piece of identification that shows your name. If you haven’t received a voter card, you can still cast a ballot by bringing a piece of ID that shows both your name and home address. A photo ID is not required.
Coldest Day of the Year Ride 2025
Join us for our Coldest Day of the Year Ride on Saturday, February 15th!
The Coldest Day of the Year Ride is an annual ride organized by Cycle Toronto in partnership with the City of Toronto and Bike Share Toronto, to celebrate and support winter cycling for Bike Winter. This year we'll be riding 8 km mostly along the Bloor bike lanes.
The ride is a slow roll suitable for all ages and abilities.
When: Saturday, February 15th, Meet at 10:30 am, depart at 11:00 am
Where: Meet at Perth Avenue Parkette, End at Michael Powers Park
Find out more and RSVP on our website today.
Cycle Toronto files injunction for Bill 212
The snap election didn’t stop the government from a media release recommitting its intent to remove bike lanes on Bloor, University, and Yonge despite their own internal warnings that doing so could make traffic worse. The announcement also omitted that those plans are facing a serious legal challenge launched by Cycle Toronto, along with individuals Eva Stanger-Ross and Narada Kiondo, that it violates the section 7 Charter-protected rights to life and security of the person. That hearing date is scheduled for April 16th.
To ensure we have our day in court, earlier last month lawyers from Ecojustice and Paliare Roland LLP have filed an injunction that would prevent any bike lane removals until that hearing.
(Remember when the cabinet’s own briefing warned removing bike lanes would make traffic worse?)
The province responded: "We can’t let activists who represent less than one per cent of the population force families to sit in traffic any longer."
To which we reply: people are fed up with being bullied by a government fixated on igniting a culture war.
Let’s be clear: Toronto has over 5,300 kilometres of roads. Blaming gridlock on 19 kilometres of bike lanes isn’t just absurd—it’s deliberate misdirection. Traffic congestion isn’t caused by bike lanes. It’s the result of failed planning and years of endless delays on critical transit projects like the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch LRT.
We will find out on March 11th if the injunction is granted by the courts.
Read more about our legal challenge and the April 16th, 2025 hearing date on our website.
(Behind the non-stop “one per cent” blustering, provincial data shows more people rely on bikes and micromobility to get downtown than all car/taxi/rideshare passengers combined. Image: Summary of findings from Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS) 2022.)
Shame on you, Stantec
The province has a willing partner in its bike lane scheme. It has been reported that Stantec Consulting Ltd., a multinational corporation based in Edmonton that has championed active transportation for its own employees, has taken the contract to start design work on removing our bike lanes.
Over 2,000 people have joined our call telling Stantec to cancel the contract and rip up this agreement with the province before they try to rip out our bike lanes:
(Stantec’s website boasts about this bike lane project in downtown Rochester that “reduces dependency on cars and improves active connections” as a key to the city’s growth strategy.)
Improving accessibility: bicycles as mobility devices
Through funding by the Federal Government’s Active Transportation Fund and the Echo Foundation, Cycle Toronto recently explored pathways to mobility: connecting older adults to cycling.
This project set out to create meaningful opportunities for older adults to discover cycling as a viable mode of transportation to improve their health and wellbeing, as well as contribute to making Toronto a more inclusive, equitable, and accessible cycling city for people aged 65+.
Read more about this exciting project on our website.
(Year-round cyclist and member of Cycle 55+ Judith Butler, age 78, featured among the people who bike regardless of winter. Image: Toronto Star)
Cycle Toronto is hiring
Cycle Toronto is growing! We’re hiring for two exciting positions: Development Officer and Programs Manager.
The Development Officer will champion a charitable mindset for our growing charity, and cultivate and manage relationships with members and donors.
The Programs Manager will be a community-builder who oversees and refines existing Cycle Toronto engagement and education programs like Bike Month and works to identify new opportunities.
Read more about the roles and apply now by heading to our website. Applications are due by end of day Sunday, February 16th.
(401 Richmond, home of Cycle Toronto.)
Tax Receipts are coming
Tax receipts for 2024 Cycle Toronto membership fees through cycleto.ca/join will be sent via email this month under the subject “2024 Tax Receipt from Cycle Toronto”.
If you made additional contributions to Cycle Toronto through cycleto.ca/donate and CanadaHelps, you should have received those tax receipts automatically at the time of your contribution. Those receipts can also be downloaded from your CanadaHelps profile.
Please check your junk/spam folders for any misplaced tax receipts. If you have any questions, please contact: [email protected]
As a member-supported charity, Cycle Toronto depends on the contributions of members and donors. Thank you to our members and donors who supported us last year. Together we are making Toronto a safer, more vibrant, and sustainable cycling city for all.
Not a member? Join and you’ll be eligible for a 2025 tax receipt next year.
Just for fun: What are 'side guards', anyway?
Protected bike lanes often take centre stage when it comes to improving safety for those who ride bikes. After all, research shows that a safe lane of travel and separation from motor vehicles is one of the most impactful ways to make roads safer for cycling. However, there are all kinds of other, less well-known and less widely adopted ways to make riding around a big, busy city safer. One example is side guards.
Read all about them in this month’s Just for Fun.
(Mayor Chow poses with an example of a side guard on a City of Toronto vehicle. Image: Toronto Star)
Social Media Spotlight
Can’t get enough Cycle Toronto content? As we near the end of this month’s Ring & Post, you may find yourself already yearning for more. Although our newsletter is monthly, we post on our social media channels daily. Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, or TikTok to stay up-to-date on Cycle Toronto news and events. Here are some highlights from this month.
Note: Click screenshot to visit original post.
(A post on Instagram showcasing the City of Toronto’s PlowTO map. Visit the map by clicking here.)
(A post on Blue Sky regarding Cycle Toronto’s ongoing legal challenge against the provincial government’s anti-bike lane legislation.)
In the Media
Diving Line: The Bloor Street bike lane has become Toronto’s most contested strip of concrete | Toronto Life
Ontario passes law to remove bike lanes in Toronto | The World
How bike lanes became a scapegoat for all of Toronto’s traffic angst | Toronto Life
Cycle Toronto seeks injunction against Ford government’s bike lane removals | Toronto Today
Toronto’s mayor hopes for ‘constructive solution’ after Doug Ford government announcement on bike lanes | Toronto Star
Email campaign takes aim at Stantec, firm hired to remove Toronto bike lanes | Toronto Today
OP-ED: Taking another look at who’s using bike lanes | Spacing
Blast from the past: Engineering giant Stantec pitches trial bike lanes downtown | Edmonton Journal
Events
In collaboration with Smart Commute, Cycle Toronto will be leading a basic bike maintenance workshop.
When: Wednesday, February 12th, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Where: Webinar
At this workshop, Cycle Toronto will show you the basics of how to maintain your bike. Topics include safety checks, assessing air pressure and flat tires, tightening your brakes, lubing your chain, and ensuring your bike is the right fit.
Click here to register for this workshop can be found here.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of the Ring & Post. As always, every donation counts to help us continue the work you've read about in this newsletter.
