Fate of Bloor bike lanes up in the air
Pilot project ends next week and if numbers don’t add up, mayor will push for removal
Decision day is at hand for the Bloor St. bike lanes.
In a highly anticipated report expected to be published next week, city staff will reveal the results of the yearlong pilot project of separated bicycle lanes on the major downtown thoroughfare.
The report to the public works committee will recommend whether to make the lanes permanent, ahead of a council vote next month that’s expected to be closer than the 38-3 decision that approved the lanes.
That initial May 2016 vote was onesided in part because Mayor John Tory threw his support behind the project. But Tory was clear at the time if the pilot data didn’t support the project “then I will be advocating it be taken out.”
A spokesperson for the mayor said Tuesday that Tory is still undecided.
Whether Tory supports keeping the lanes could prove a defining moment for his mayoralty. Over nearly three years as mayor, Tory has championed progressive transportation causes like an ambitious 10-year cycling plan, and a “Vision Zero” road safety strategy aimed at eliminating bicycle and pedestrian injuries.
Jared Kolb, executive director of advocacy group Cycle Toronto, argued that Tory can’t credibly claim to advocate for initiatives like the road safety plan if he doesn’t support keeping the Bloor lanes.
“I don’t think that a city that’s committed to Vision Zero and eliminating serious injuries and fatalities on our streets can seriously endorse and stand behind that plan if it is ripping out bike lanes,” he said.
The data released next week will include statistics on traffic flow, cycling volumes, public perception and economic impact.
Cycling advocates argue the most important metric is whether the lanes have made the street safer. The report will include limited information on collisions, but preliminary data showed 85 per cent of cyclists surveyed said the lanes made them feel safer.
Data the city collected last fall weeks after the lanes were installed showed 4,500 riders used the route every day, a 36-per-cent increase compared to before they went in.
The bikeway caused a significant increase in travel time for drivers, however, with delays of up to eight minutes and 30 seconds in the evening rush hour. The volume of cars on Bloor decreased 22 per cent, to 20,000 per day.
The numbers in the new report are expected to be more favourable to the bike lanes. City hall insiders say cycling counts have risen and delays to drivers have been reduced.
One obstacle to keeping the lanes could be concerns raised by some local business owners. The preliminary city data showed businesses were “roughly split” on the bike lanes, with 44 per cent in favour and 53 per cent opposed.
Barry Alper, who co-owns the Fresh restaurant chain, said revenues at his Bloor and Spadina Ave. location are down 5 per cent, while business at his other three locations in Toronto has increased. Other business owners told the Star they’ve seen sales decrease between16 and 40 per cent.
“If the bike lanes stay, then we’re going to have to sit down and figure out what the future of our bakery is. And it breaks my heart,” said Suki Lee, whose family has owned the Hodo Kwaja bakery near Manning Ave. for 25 years.
Many owners say reduced parking is the problem — the city removed 166 of about 280 on-street spaces.