Keep Jarvis safe for bikes
If you look closely into the eyes of someone riding a bicycle on Toronto’s main streets, you’ll often see a familiar glint of fear. Navigating the streets can be a stressful experience, with cyclists often squeezed between parked cars and fastmoving vehicles.
On Oct. 26, 2010, you could feel an additional sense of fear as Rob Ford had just been swept to power, triggering a collective sense of apprehension about what this would mean for cyclists. To the surprise of many, the Ford administration has pushed ahead with an array of pro-bike initiatives, including an ambitious retrofit of the Sherbourne bike lanes and a network of off-road paths designed to connect suburban cyclists through parkland. Sadly, these accomplishments are overshadowed by the arbitrary and unnecessary removal of the Jarvis Street bike lanes, scheduled for mid-November.
In 2001, Mel Lastman introduced the Toronto Bike Plan recommending a 500-kilometre network of on-street bike lanes. Designed as a 10-year plan, we only achieved 24 per cent of that goal. While the plan has been implemented at a snail’s pace, cyclists have always found solace in the fact that we’re moving in the right direction. That changed in 2011 when we began moving backward. It was the first year that Toronto had a net reduction of onstreet bike lanes. While New York City, Montreal and Vancouver were adding new bike lanes, we were removing them. With the proposed removal of the Jarvis lanes, 2012 will also see a net loss of bike lanes — the second year in a row.
This month city council will have an opportunity to preserve the Jarvis bike lanes. Here are eight reasons why councillors should leave the road as it is: 1. Any major change to our transportation network requires public consultation. Drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, local businesses and schools all deserve a fair process and the opportunity to participate. When council voted in 2010 to add the bike lanes, the decision followed months of community meetings, com- mittee meetings at city hall and a full environmental assessment (EA) — one of the most rigorous forms of consultation. Yet last year’s decision to undo the entire EA process was made without any consultation. The item never appeared on a committee agenda, and the public never had a chance to submit feedback. When Councillor John Parker moved the motion to remove the lanes, he was asked by Councillor Mike Layton if he would support public consultation. “I’ve got no quarrel with that,” he replied.
2. Jarvis is safer. Overall collision rates have dropped by 23 per cent, including an 89-per-cent drop in pedestrian collisions.
3. During the last election, the Toronto
Toronto will be known as the only major city on the continent that is ripping out existing bike lanes
Star asked mayoral candidates if they would remove the Jarvis lanes. Ford’s answer was predictably consistent with his cost-cutting message: “No, it would be a waste of money to remove it if it’s already there.” The price tag is now estimated at a quarter-million dollars.
4. The refurbished Sherbourne bike lanes (originally painted in 1996) are wonderful, but they offer little to those who live on Jarvis, work on Jarvis, or go to school on Jarvis. Many cyclists are also uncomfortable riding on Sherbourne at night, due to higher levels of crime.
5. In an ironic twist, the full cost of removing the Jarvis bike lanes is being deducted from the cycling infrastructure capital budget — reducing our ability to create new lanes.
6. Downtown’s west end has countless north-south routes for cyclists to use safely such as Shaw, Grace or Markham. But in the east end there are very few north-south side streets, so cyclists depend on arterials like Jarvis.
7. Removing the bike lanes is likely to increase congestion. Drivers can currently drive in four lanes without any interference from cyclists. Without the bike lanes, cyclists and drivers will be sharing the curb lanes, reducing auto-only lanes to three.
8. Toronto’s reputation is at stake. As cities across North America (including the GTA) are adding new bike lanes, Toronto will be known as the only major city on the continent that is ripping out existing infrastructure.
If a handful of councillors want to get rid of the Jarvis bike lanes, I’ve got no quarrel with that. But they should let the community participate in a proper decision-making process that looks at data and seeks staff expertise and neighbourhood input.
This is not a “left vs. right” issue. It’s simply about road safety, respecting tax dollars and respecting the democratic process.