Renforth Dr., north of Bloor St.

On Wednesday, the City of Toronto's Cyclometer newsletter announced the following:

Renforth Dr. at Burnhamthorpe Rd.

Renforth Drive in Etobicoke now has 2.5 km of winding lanes between Bloor Street West and Rathburn Road.(Google Map)

Since I read this at work, I decided to check it out on my way home, and then again on my way to work on Thursday morning. Here's a review of what I saw and experienced.

Design:
Renforth Dr. is a minor road that goes north from Bloor St. and the West Mall (near Highway 427) up to Pearson International Airport. The section from Bloor St. up to Rathburn Rd (where the bike lanes went in) is wide with only two lanes of traffic, and very minimal on-street parking. North of Rathburn, up to the airport, it widens into a 4-lane arterial with heavier traffic. Oddly enough, the stretch of Renforth Dr. that now has bike lane is the exact opposite of what was suggested in the Bike Plan (see map).

Toronto Bike Plan: Renforth Dr., Etobicoke

Almost all of the houses along this street have large driveways, and many even have more space to park in the boulevard area between the sidewalk and road. There was enough room to easily squeeze in bike lanes without any parking issues or affecting traffic flow. I noticed that there are no "No Stopping" signs in many places, especially along the west side, and maybe this is why there are still people parking in these bike lanes.

The decision to put in this bike lane must have been relatively uncontroversial, even if it's in Ward 3 Etobicoke Centre, Doug Holyday's turf.

There's really not much to say about the lanes themselves. Few conflicts with parked vehicles, only a few major intersections (Bloor, Burnhamthorpe, Rathburn), and few opportunities for conflict with turning traffic. In some places, I wished they made the lanes a bit wider, as there was room to spare and I felt a bit constrained in the leaf-filled gutter, but it's not too bad.

Connectivity:
Renforth is a good North-South route in this part of Etobicoke. The south end connects to Bloor St. and possibly future Bloor St. bike lanes (don't get too excited any time soon). The West Mall is also supposed to get a bike lane, which would continue this route further south.

Toronto Bike Map: Renforth Dr., Etobicoke

In the middle, near Burnhamthorpe Rd., the bike lane comes close to the Etobicoke Civic Centre (accessed via Rexton Rd.) and several parks

At the north end, this lane almost connects directly into Centennial Park and the Eglinton and Etobicoke Creek trails. It would be even better if they implemented the Bike Plan and continued this directly up past Eglinton and to the airport. The Rathburn Rd. bike lane is just east of here, and it is supposed to be pushed out to connect at some point.

Usefulness:
Since Renforth Dr. is already a low-traffic road with very wide lanes, there was already little conflict between cyclists and motor vehicles, from my experience. Bike lanes may add a bit to the perception of safety, and keep motorists farther left, while also acting as traffic calming, and encouraging more cyclists to ride here. However, in the grand scheme of things, it's probably not that much different riding on this road now. At least it's not any worse, as is the case with some poorly-designed bike lanes.

Unfortunately, there are very few other cyclists riding in this part of town, and I saw none on Renforth when I checked out the new lanes. I hope to see more soon, though I may have to wait until spring. An "easy win" bike lane like this will help somewhat, but like in many parts of the city, it's the east-west bike infrastructure that is truly lacking.