Yesterday was a good day for bicycle advocacy in Toronto. City council voted 36-6 in favour of the staff recommendation that the Bloor bike lanes become permanent. The blow by blow of the meeting (at least the afternoon portion) is here.
Toronto Star: Toronto council votes to make the Bloor St. bike lanes permanent
CBC news: The Bloor bike lanes are here to stay.
National Post: Chris Selley: Approval of permanent Bloor bike lanes brings us a step closer to getting along
Globe and Mail: City council votes 36-6 to make Bloor Street bicycle lanes permanent
Dandyhorse Magazine: Bloor gets a bike lane. (Albert said he started composing this article during the City Council meeting)
A few take aways from the meeting:
- some immediate improvements will take place during the next year, likely including green paint on some portions of the existing trail
- the final configuration of the permanent installation will not be clear for a while, but in any case they will have to wait for corridor capital improvements in 2019.
- several councillors pointed out that there was much more close study of this bike lane pilot than either the Gardiner rebuild or the Scarborough subway.
- it is clear that more than several councillors from the east end are very comfortable with pushing for bike lanes on Danforth. If this is to happen any time soon, it will be between Coxwell and Victoria Park.
- Mayor John Tory’s support was key in making the yes vote as lopsided as it was.
- There was a moment of hilarity when on the final vote, Gord Perks voted NO in error. Here is the proof:
He was allowed a revote so that the final tally was 36-6 in favour.
Hamish and Albert look happy immediately after passage.
Riding home afterwards. I wondered if my fellow cyclists were aware of what just happened earlier in the evening.
Here, the bike lane ends at Shaw, showing that we have more work to do to get to the vision of an east-west bike lane spanning the city.
