Earlier today, Zev and Eva – two University of Toronto students who started “Fight for Bikes” organized a protest against Bill 212 at Christie Pits Park. The turnout was incredible with some claiming there were at least 1,500 which would make it even larger than the September 23 rally at Queen’s Park!
The past few weeks have been pretty stressful. Not just for work, but also Doug Ford’s war on bikes via Bill 212 while Donald Trump being voted back to the White House didn’t help matters either. Given the need to use up some vacation days and blow off some steam, I took today off and used the morning to do an 85-kilometre bike ride to Brampton and back.
Happy Halloween, everybody! With Halloween and this Sunday’s daylight savings time change being among the most dangerous times of the year for vulnerable road users, Doug Ford’s war on bikes has taken an even scarier turn. When Bill 212 was originally announced on Monday, October 21, Schedule 4 only stated it would require municipalities to get provincial approval to build bike lanes which remove traffic lanes, as well as conduct reviews of existing bike lanes. Today, the Ford government confirmed Bill 212 would be amended to require the removal of bike lanes along parts of Bloor Street, University Avenue, and Yonge Street while the Environmental Registry has been updated accordingly. It’s beyond disgusting how the Ford government would throw almost fifty years of calls for bike lanes on Bloor out the window and it’s worth providing an update on where things stand.
Last month, Helen and I spent three weeks visiting Uzbekistan, Almaty (Kazakhstan), and Istanbul. During this time, I was able to make a fair number of urbanism observations. Let’s look at what Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have to offer for all of you urbanists!
Queen’s Park was back in session on Monday after an extended holiday and the first order of business was Bill 212 called “The Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act”. This bill would require municipalities to get provincial approval for bike lanes that remove traffic lanes – except for those tendered and started construction once the bill takes effect – as well as review existing bike lanes. To make matters worse, Premier Doug Ford mentioned he plans to remove existing bike lanes on Bloor, University, and Yonge. Hundreds of people came out yesterday in response to this irresponsible (and unprecedented) legislation which you can submit comments on until Wednesday, November 20.
All right, folks! The worst-case scenario for Toronto's cycling community has come upon us! On Tuesday, Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria announced cities will be required to get provincial approval to put in bike lanes which remove traffic lanes. Cities would also need to provide data about bike lanes installed over the past five years which could put large parts of Bloor-Danforth, University, and Yonge at risk. On Thursday, Premier Doug Ford said, "We need to and will remove and replace existing bike lanes on primary roads that are bringing traffic in our cities to a standstill”. This has been motivated in part to his own distaste for the Bloor bike lanes in Etobicoke which was the subject of last night's town hall hosted by Councillor Amber Morley. You can read Jun's report here.
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| Premier Doug Ford calling for the removal of the Bloor bike lanes in Etobicoke on October 31, 2023 (CPAC) |
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope you were able to enjoy the long weekend with lots of food, as well as some riding. With today being sunny and 10’C, I rode 25 kilometres to check out the progress along the East Don Trail, new cycle tracks along Ferrand, and improvements to the Leaside Bridge.
