Vaughan

Councillor Vaughan's proposed bike lanes:

The regular bike lanes would be 1 km on Dan Leckie, 1.4 km on Bremner, and 1.3 km on Blue Jays Way, for a total of 3.7 km.

Compared to the full protected bike lane network, proposed by Councillor Minnan-Wong and the Toronto Cyclists Union:

The protected bike lanes would be 4.7 km on Harbord to Wellesley, 3.3 km on Richmond, 2.4 km St. George / Beverley, 1.2 km on Simcoe, and 3.4 km on Sherbourne.

Two actually complement each other! But I don't think anyone, other than Councillor Vaughan, thinks that one set of bike lanes would be a substitute for the other. Vaughan likes to mention this "alternative" as a way to show he supports bike lanes, even though most of his suggested route is all not that busy nor all that connected. Still they'd be useful so I'm not sure why we aren't just asking for both plans, instead of letting Vaughan dangle it in front of cyclists as treat as he takes away Richmond and John.

Will we just be happy with scraps off the table of our rich masters, or demand a place at the table?

As reported by TCAT, the bike lanes on Vaughan Rd. between Winona Dr. and St. Clair Ave. (map) are being installed this week.

I rode by there after work on Tuesday evening to check on the progress. They have already painted the initial markings on the road, which will eventually be painted over.

However, the cynic in me is asking, "Why are they doing this?"

Seriously, riding this road wasn't bad at all. The traffic is minimal, the lanes are wide and easy to share, and the limited on-street parking doesn't make for many dooring situations. Maybe this is a simple 1.7km to add to the bike plan, without upsetting anyone. But does it benefit anyone either? Let's have a look.