Meeting on Bloor Street West bike lanes draws over 300 people
CBC
Emotions ran high at a community meeting about Bloor Street West bike lanes on Wednesday evening.
At Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, where the meeting was held, there was a clear divide between those who support the bike lanes and those who do not. More than 300 people attended.
There were laughs when city staff said travel times for motorists had increased only a few minutes because of the bike lanes. There were cheers when city staff said cycling had increased 60 per cent along the stretch of Bloor Street W. where the cycle tracks have been installed.
Coun. Amber Morley, who represents Ward 3, Etobicoke Lakeshore, organized the community meeting.
Its focus was what the city calls the Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension. The project aims to improve road safety, add cycle tracks and upgrade public infrastructure on a section of Bloor Street W. from Runnymede Road and Resurrection Road, the city says.
"Would we consider removing the bike lanes? At this time, as the local representative, my objective is to continue to work towards improving this infrastructure and the removal of the bike lanes is not something I am interested in," Morley said to applause as well as some boos.
Toronto Fire Deputy Chief Jim Jessop told the meeting the fire department has not seen a decrease in response times, based on international standards, in the last few years due to the bike lanes.
"Your response times have been improving," Jessop said to applause.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, more than 100 cyclists rode for six kilometres to show their support for the bike lanes. The cyclists rode from the High Park north gates to the community meeting.
"Modern cities build bike lanes and Toronto is a modern city," Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, said before the ride.
"In the case of Bloor West, it makes a lot of sense. It checks a lot of boxes. It's already connected to this stretch of Bloor. It's connected to some infrastructure out of Kipling at six points. It already has Royal York as a major north-south route on it too. We're confident that the numbers will continue to grow," he added.
Longfield said bike lanes give people more transportation options.
Christine Hogarth, Ontario MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, said before the meeting that she is opposed to the bike lanes. She said she heard from thousands of constituents that the bike lanes impede traffic and hurt business.
"There's other roads on either side that they can put the bike lanes on. Just choose another road. Just not on Bloor Street."
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