Time for DIY Bike Lanes?There's been some talk about ramping up the number of bike lanes being put in this year. It now appears that the city will almost certainly miss its goal, despite the valiant efforts of Councillor Heaps and the Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee. The CBC reports:
Just 90 kilometres of lanes have been built so far, with only 15 kilometres added in the past two years.
"It's so much better, and cyclists will tell you that," says Martin Ries, an avid cyclist and bike activist who has worked for years with the Toronto Cycling Committee. "Whenever they get into the bike lane they breathe a sign of relief. Myself included."
Martin mentions a lack of political will that is keeping bike lanes from being placed in wards. This is almost certainly true despite the protestations of the complications due to lane widths, merchants wanting to protect parking and so on. No one said the councillors' jobs were easy, but they can get lots of things done when they are in power.
The evidence is out there that local councillors can really help to push forward bike lanes. The Cosburn bike lane and the new Christie bike lane, for example, were pushed by bike lane positive councillors.
