525km of bike routes for Toronto is a huge step forward

As someone who has cycled on the streets of Toronto before, though granted not in the downtown core, it was great to see this article in the Toronto Star this morning:

A 10-year plan to invest in the build of '525km of new bike lanes, cycle tracks, trails and other routes that, if built, would create the kind of connected network Toronto's bike advocates have long pushed for', including infrastructure on eight of Toronto's busiest streets.

I for one would welcome that, as should anyone with a forward thinking attitude towards the city, and not just those who ride their bikes at present.

Of course, some people will object and while the one Councillor quoted in the article, Stephen Holyday, is far a dissenting voice, his quote did express what I think is a view among many:

“I hold a very high test for any time there’s an attempt to take out a live lane of traffic. We live in a very congested city as it is,” said Holyday, who sits on the public works committee.

“Often you are inconveniencing the majority for the desires of the minority, if the ridership is low.”

The thing I'd say to that is that the city is very congested in its downtown core because too many people are driving and that ridership is low because too many people don't feel safe in riding. If you build these cycle networks you may encourage more people to leave their car and home and ride on Toronto's streets.

It can only be a good thing.

That and improving the surface of many roads. One of my prevailing memories of riding on suburban Toronto streets before moving to a suburb of the Greater Toronto Area was how horrific some of the roads were, not just for cars, but potholes. It was like a slalom race just navigating some of those streets, though that is perhaps a topic for another day for those on the city council; this current subject in itself is a nice step forward.

You only need look at how a city like Amsterdam flows and how the bike plays a huge roll in the daily commute. Granted the bicycle has been built into that specific European cities psyche for generations, unlike Toronto, so I'd certainly say that this is very much a cultural thing and about slowly changing attitudes. But as the executive director of Cycle Toronto, Jared Kolb said in the article: "I think the rhetoric has moved beyond that ‘war on the car’ mantra, and has moved into imagining and realizing that cycling is a crucial way to get Toronto moving."

Attitudes are slowly shifting and with it will come a cultural shift.

Build these bike lanes and paths now and not only will you get a return on your investment by a reduction on emissions, traffic congestion, time spent commuting, obesity and other health risks, you'll have a future generation that respects cyclists and who see bicycles as a viable, equal and safe method of transport in a cities core. And this I hope is the first step towards all of that.