Etobicoke Site Check on Bloor

With the arrival of fall this weekend brings some good news. Today saw the Ford government finally reverse his decision to remove land from the Greenbelt which came after two cabinet ministers resigned. At the local level, the Bloor bike lanes have been painted in from Runnymede Road to Aberfoyle Crescent. I was able to scoot along this new extension after work today and have some first impressions to share.

After getting off at Runnymede station, I was pleased to see the “bike lane ends” sign replaced.

However, a car could be immediately seen blocking the bike lane. In all fairness, the bicycle symbols haven’t been painted in yet and the barriers are expected to be put in later on.

The parking lay-bys are still occupied by motorists as if the bike lanes were never put in. However, you can make out the chalk lines where the bike lanes will move from the lay-by to the main road. Hopefully, this will be fixed soon.

Just before Windermere, I could see several more vehicles blocking the new bike lane in both directions.

However, motorists appear to have kept the bike lane clear just past Windermere.

The biggest obstacle for this project is the new building construction on the north side of Bloor between Jane and South Kingsway. Some chalk for the bike lane paint is in place, but the scaffolding for the sidewalk will make completing the bike lane in this area a challenge. Please be careful here until further notice.

Some centre turning lane signage can be seen just before the Humber River.

At last, people can safely bike across the Humber between Etobicoke and old Toronto! Even without the barriers, crossing the Humber felt a lot safer already!

So far, the drivers on the bridge appear to be staying in their lanes.

While some lay-bys were occupied by parked cars, this one east of The Kingsway was blocked off by pylons.

Just past The Kingsway, you can see where a future bus stop will be marked with green paint.

And there are some people already using the new bike lanes shortly after installation. 😊 Look forward to seeing some counts get done once the installation is done; barriers and all.

Prince Edward Drive marks the start of The Kingsway neighbourhood which had a fair number of residents and businesses opposed to the Bloor bike lanes. As with other parts of Bloor-Danforth, let’s do our part by visiting businesses in the area to show them that people bike to these shops too in order to win over residents in the long term.

As with Bloor West Village, some of the lay-bys in The Kingsway were occupied by parked cars.

Royal York Road was a missed opportunity in which protected intersections did not end up being part of the final design. Hopefully the City can rectify this problem – including at other bikeways which intersect with the Bloor-Danforth corridor – sooner rather than later.

A CaféTO patio can be seen west of Royal York. The bike lane will go through this area during the winter months with parking placed between the patio and traffic lane.

In addition to the Humber River, the Mimico Creek crossing is now safer to cross by bike.

The “bike lane ends” sign can now be seen at Aberfoyle Crescent. If all goes well, that sign will be gone by next year as the final one kilometre stretch to Six Points gets filled in.

Thanks to my fellow advocates with Community Bikeways for all their hard work in making this Bloor bike lane extension a reality, as well as to Councillor Amber Morley for championing this project in Etobicoke despite local opposition. Hopefully, a celebratory ride can be held soon.