Torontonians are hungry to bike more, cycle shop owners say. Will the war on bike lanes hamper a cultural shift? Toronto’s bike shops have seen an increasing number of families in the store, while at the same time the Ontario government is moving to limit the number of bike lanes in the province. - ThreadSky

thestar.com • 90 days ago

Torontonians are hungry to bike more, cycle shop owners say. Will the war on bike lanes hamper a cultural shift?

Toronto’s bike shops have seen an increasing number of families in the store, while at the same time the Ontario government is moving to limit the number of bike lanes in the province.

Comments

just-some-dude.bsky.social•90 days ago

I'm very pro bike. I always make sure to live a bike ride away from a train. BUT, I do not know how much sense it makes in Toronto where the weather only permits feasible biking a few months out of the year. Maybe a single lane on one side of the street?

woonation.bsky.social•90 days ago

I'm what I would describe as a casual rider to work and I'm riding about 9 months a year in Toronto, easily.

just-some-dude.bsky.social•90 days ago

You've got thicker skin than I 😀

woonation.bsky.social•90 days ago

Indeed. Gloves and a hat help too!

neilforreal.bsky.social•88 days ago

I'm a cyclist. There are about five to ten days a year when you can't bike in Toronto. The "only bike a few months a year" line is a red herring floated by the anti-bike lobby.

themaymar.bsky.social•87 days ago

You might bike year-round, but a lot of your peers choose not to. If we have this bike network anyhow, we should ensure it's usable year-round, but that won't guarantee consistent usage.

neilforreal.bsky.social•87 days ago

So even from what is clearly not a comprehensive study, that data shows a doubling of low-end ridership in just four years, which happens to coincide with increased bike infrastructure. Now, if we continue to add *protected* infrastructure and snow removal, what can we extrapolate?

themaymar.bsky.social•87 days ago

That people still often don't want to ride in cold or inclement weather. As is frequently pointed out, we don't get that severe of winters or that much snow, so that shouldn't drive as much seasonality as we get.

neilforreal.bsky.social•87 days ago

A more than 100% jump in winter ridership in two years based on minimal installation of unprotected and poorly maintained bike lanes would seem to indicate a growing demand for for better bike lane infrastructure year round, unless you're determined to thwart that demand.

dafydd61.bsky.social•90 days ago

There are all kinds of valid reasons to not ride year round in Toronto, but it’s feasible 12 months of the year.

tinybeaches.bsky.social•89 days ago

The only valid reason is lack of sufficient protected lanes where you can feel safe and comfortable riding.

dafydd61.bsky.social•89 days ago

Yep that’s the only valid external reason (I’m including poor maintenance - a not-cleared bike lane isn’t a bike lane). I’m trying to emphasize though that people can have all kinds of internal reasons for biking or not, and that should have no bearing on whether or not they have the option.

spezbaby.bsky.social•90 days ago

This is correct.

flyingtrilobite.com•88 days ago

It was 9°C in Toronto yesterday. What are you talking about, “the weather only permits feasible biking a few months out of the year”?

Dude.

just-some-dude.bsky.social•88 days ago

Yesterday was an anomaly, but yeah the way it came out was wrong. Certainly more than a FEW months, but November to March they're not getting much use.

flyingtrilobite.com•88 days ago

If you follow @toronto.raccoon.bike you’ll see that bike use November to March is still high, and that only includes Bikeshare, not personal bikes.

Do you also advocate to rip out outdoor public pools? They see less use than bike lanes year round.

just-some-dude.bsky.social•88 days ago

C'mon man, false equivalency. Pretty sure pools don't cause traffic. I am VERY pro biking. I enjoy it and do it all the time. BUT, I am also very anti-traffic and realistic.We need the car lanes. I'm not saying NO bike lanes, but maybe just 1 side of the road or some way that doesn't cost a car lane

flyingtrilobite.com•88 days ago

Every study shows that removing the bike lanes will lead to slower car traffic.

And speed times aside, don’t cyclists deserve safe infrastructure? Even if it slowed cars down?

spezbaby.bsky.social•89 days ago

You only get cold when you stop moving.

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