My Longitudinal Frustration

Early last year, I switched jobs to near Dufferin and Lawrence and slashed three quarters of my commute distance. During the winter months, I took the TTC but aimed to commute by bike as often as possible (of course). This bike commuting experience made me aware of not only how few bike lanes North York has, but also the lack of dedicated north-south routes in Toronto. Especially north of Davenport. Since I opted to take a different route yesterday morning, I will reflect on that experience, my original route, and a project the City of Toronto is looking to implement late this year.

The West Toronto Railpath was part of my original bike commute

Small Changes for a Big Difference

Like many others in Toronto’s cycling community, I am frustrated with our city’s slow pace of bike lane installation. Montréal was able to install 90 kilometres from 2016 to 2018 while Toronto only installed 25 kilometres. As much as we need to push for key projects such as on Bloor and Danforth, a recent announcement for a cycling project revealed how small changes can also make a big difference.

Cycle track on Dufferin while under construction in August 2018