for health, safety, climate, equity & transportation

Summer 2021

Welcome to our summer newsletter!

In this edition we highlight Scarborough, an area that covers one-third of the city but doesn't get much love from City Hall when it comes to cycling. 

Also, we are thrilled to introduce our respected community advisors, outline our progress on the We Belong on Bloor campaign, celebrate the new Yonge Street bicycle lanes (and the advocates who made them happen), and lament the (possible) downward trend of ActiveTO.

What’s happening in Scarborough? More dotted lines on a map.

Contributed by Jonathan Schmidt

Another Toronto cycling plan update…and another round of studies (dotted lines on a map) promised for Scarborough.

About one-third the geographical area of Toronto, Scarborough has great potential for cycling. Toronto East Cyclists formed 10 years ago in response to the removal of bike lanes on two Scarborough streets: Birchmount Road and Pharmacy Avenue. Their feedback on the 2021 Cycling Network Plan Update noted that Scarborough has had too many studies for too long. It is time to build fully-separated cycling infrastructure on arterial roads, including sidewalk level multi-use trails.

Instead of just the now-common “edge-lines” designed to slow traffic, each new road reconstruction or repaving of Scarborough’s oversized streets must include separated bike lanes. Instead of just a grid of bike lanes spread too far apart, there also needs to be a focus on cyclable communities or hubs, places where people can access transit, schools, shopping, employment, and active transportation recreation. 

The city needs to understand and address the “culture” of Scarborough, including the myth of Scarborough as a car-oriented community.

Fostering a vision of Scarborough as a cycling community is essential. Resources must be directed toward education and shifting the cultural perspective of cycling. Resources must also be provided for a different model of community consultation. Scarborough residents need to be consulted on what infrastructure they want, how they would use it, and how to implement a Scarborough cycling plan.

In the past, the City of Toronto installed several bike lanes in Scarborough that generated opposition. These were removed shortly after their installation. If the current cycling network plan is not implemented differently, it will also fail and likely galvanize further opposition to cycling infrastructure in Scarborough.

New Community Advisors

We are very pleased to announce our new community advisors: four respected community leaders who accepted our invitation to offer us their experience and expertise in the months and years ahead on a variety of important community issues.

• Daniella Levy-Pinto is a pedestrian advocate who is passionate about accessible streets and safe walking. She is totally blind and relies on her guide dog Angelo to go about the city. Daniella is a member of the Walk Toronto steering committee. She works with the National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS), where she manages digital accessibility initiatives to prevent or eliminate barriers to digital content for people with print disabilities. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.

• Bob Murphy chairs ACORN Canada’s York South - Weston chapter, an advocacy group dedicated to issues of low and moderate income individuals. Bob, who receives a disability pension due to a brain injury suffered in 2011, relies on his bicycle (and the TTC) to get around, although the roads near his Mount Dennis home remain far from safe. In his advocacy work, Bob regularly appears as a speaker before a range of government bodies.

• Marvin Macaraig is a Health Promoter and the Scarborough Cycles Coordinator at Access Alliance, a community health centre supporting Toronto’s communities who have been most impacted by structural barriers. He works to increase suburban cycling by addressing barriers that prevent residents from living healthier and more active lives. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (Geography) and has expertise in Active Transportation and Civil Society.

• Najia Zewari came to Canada in 2013 from war-torn Afghanistan where she had worked with the UN. She subsequently launched the Women’s Global Network to promote peace and to assist women suffering the horrors of war in different parts of the world. In her East York neighbourhood, Najia is engaged in a range of community projects. She is also a co-founder of the Women’s Cycling Network (WCN), a group that recently launched a BikeMatch program for donors of bicycles and individuals who need one – an especially valuable service during the pandemic. In July 2021, the Women’s Cycling Network volunteer members and Najia biked and fundraised for autistic and other special needs children summer camps.  

TCBC response to Cycling Network Plan Update 2021

We need bicycle lanes that connect to places, people, and activities. The ‘Bike Lane Ends Here’ signs must be eliminated for equity, accessible transportation, and public health.

We Belong on Bloor

We launched #WeBelongOnBloor with a petition that keeps growing!

Then we designed a postcard (pictured above) with a photo from Jun Nogami and original art from Sahel Alsabouni.

Our letter continues to grow with 30+ signatories, and our community meeting on August 12 was a success, with new faces, energy, and discussion! You can see a video of it here.

*****

At our August 8, 2021 bike count, thirty-five volunteers were posted at four separate locations along Bloor Street to count cyclists, both on the road and on the sidewalk. Of course, we know that bike lanes are appreciated by cyclists, but these counts also show that when people are afraid to be on the road – especially because of high speeds and heavy motor traffic – some people will ride on the sidewalks. We can hardly blame them given the road dangers.

The counts showed that at Runnymede there were almost 1,000 cyclists, among which 3% were on the sidewalk. At Royal York and Islington, where there is no bike lane – and motor speeds routinely exceed the posted speed limit – the number of cyclists on the sidewalk was much higher at 31% for both locations. The Islington intersection is particularly noteworthy as both the location of the subway station and the dozens of large apartment and condo towers. Wouldn’t it be nice if residents in this area were also able to enjoy, as in other parts of the city, safe access by bicycle to nearby recreation areas, including Tom Riley Park and the Humber River?

Destination Yonge Street

We asked Santa for bicycle lanes on Yonge St. as we cycled in good cheer last December! Other volunteers actually wished for protected bikeways from Sheppard to the lake, but this is a start.

In April 2021, Toronto City Council approved the installation of a temporary Complete Street Pilot on Yonge Street between Bloor Street and Davisville Avenue as part of the City’s Pandemic Mobility Recovery Strategy.

Yonge Street was transformed into a complete street through the CaféTO and ActiveTO programs, which were both created in 2020 as quick-start COVID-19 response programs. The pilot will provide support for local businesses and surrounding communities by expanding outdoor patio areas, improving safety and comfort for everyone, and providing a safe and protected bike lane along the Line 1 subway.

This is temporary, but like Destination Danforth, bike lanes on East-West and North-South arterials, which have for decades been opposed by city decision-makers, are vital elements of a serious cycling network in Toronto.

Thanks for all the hard work contributed by cycling advocates over many years, including John Taranu, former leader of Cycle Toronto Midtown. Other volunteers who advocated tirelessly include Tom Worrall, Holly Reid, Ken Brown, Jacky Kennedy, Burns Wattie, and Michael Black. Kevin Rupasinghe, Cycle Toronto staffer, also made invaluable contributions. And thanks to councillors Mike Layton, Mike Colle and Josh Matlow.

Fundraising

Printing, campaign materials artwork and design, annual awards, website and online materials all cost money, so we appreciate any help supporters can lend us.

We do not accept corporate or government funding or grants, which allows us to speak boldly and independently.

Since July 14th, we have raised $2,000! Help us reach $4,000. A little bit can go a long way! Please consider making a donation. How? Email us!

Let your community voice be heard!

Email us if you’re interested in recording a video message for the Community Voices page on our website.

Wishing you safe travels!

Mary Ann, Janet Joy, Albert, Marc, Michael H, Michael B, Robert, Pamela, Mark, Donna, Arthur, Jonathan, Elizabeth, and Danielle.