[M II A II R II K]

Have Toronto’s Bike Lane Butchers Found Another Target?


June 6, 2012

By Angie Schmitt

Read More: http://streetsblog.net/2012/06/06/have-torontos-bike-lane-butchers-found-another-target/


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Toronto took the opposite tack of virtually every other city on the continent last summer when the city removed a bike lane from Jarvis Street, on one of the most important north-south thoroughfares. Now the city is threatening to take out another one, reports Jake Tobin Garrett at Network blog Spacing Toronto:

- According to a press release put out by Cycle Toronto today, the City will be creating an Options Report for Dupont Street that may include, with pressure from a certain councillor, the removal of the bike lanes. From the mouth of Cycle Toronto: “Cycle Toronto strongly disagrees with Councillor Palacio’s intention to remove cycling infrastructure on Dupont Street. The Dupont Street bike lanes provide a safe passage under the Weston railway bridge, a location where a cyclist was killed and several others injured in recent years.”

- According to Ben Spurr over at Now Toronto, Dan Egan, Manager of Cycling and Pedestrian Infrastructure, said that Transportation Services has not be directed to remove the Dupont bike lanes. However, given the current climate at City Hall and past actions that have seen councillors sneak in motions to remove bike lanes without public consultation (Jarvis, anyone?), cyclists can be forgiven for being a little jumpy on this issue. With the removal of the Pharmarcy and Birchmount bike lanes last year, Toronto actually had a negative amount of bike lanes installed in 2011. This is something that we cannot let continue in 2012. We have to move forward.

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http://streetsblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/RPJ_Mural_03.jpg

[Tony]

What would be the point of removing these bike lanes? It's not like you could cram in another car lane, especially at the pinch points along the route like the rail bridge.

[sonysnob]

What would be the point of removing these bike lanes? It's not like you could cram in another car lane, especially at the pinch points along the route like the rail bridge.

For sure you could. Dupont Street was a four lane road before the bike lanes were installed.

[M II A II R II K]

It still is though, especially in that section.

[Ramako]

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cityhallpolitics/article/1231849--bike-lanes-separated-lanes-for-sherbourne-st-go-ahead

Bike lanes: Separated lanes for Sherbourne St. go ahead

http://i.thestar.com/images/36/96/69b3e59147fd8a75f885c066013c.jpg

Work is to begin soon to add separated bike lanes to Sherbourne St. as part of planned repairs to the street.

The $4.1 million contract includes $2.5 million for bike lanes and the rest for road resurfacing, sidewalk and streetscape improvements.

In a first for Toronto, curbs and a painted buffer strip will be employed to separate bikes from cars. Street parking will be lost, but delivery zones will be provided.

Sherbourne St. was touted as a better, safer north-south cycling route than Jarvis St., where motorists complained after painted bike lanes were added in the summer of 2010 under former mayor David Miller.