I just heard Fred Patterson on Humble and Fred exclaim that 2/3rds of Torontonians "want those bike lanes outta there". This CityNews poll states "62 per cent, of Torontonians say they support the province turning bike lanes back into motor vehicle lanes on major Toronto streets".
Here's the problem... when you're west of Jane Street, there is no viable alternative to Bloor Street for a bike lane. If you're moving east / west in Etobicoke, Bloor Street is the street for a protected bike lane. There's a reason it was overwhelmingly passed by city council.
So ask a bunch of people if they want bike lanes off "major" streets and it's an easy "yeah!", but the devil, as they say, is in the details.
I ride the Bloor bike lanes often, and I do it 12 months a year. I'm also a rider of this bike lane in the west end, west of Royal York even. As always, should I feel unsafe sharing the road with motorists, I'll take the lane.
But I'd rather be in a bike lane.
