We are a coalition of residents, business owners and daily commuters
within Etobicoke and Bloor West Village united by concerns over the recent Bloor Street West bike lane expansion. Our diverse perspectives come
from living, working, and traveling through this vibrant area.
Our mission is to champion safe, practical and community-centred
transportation solutions. We aim to enhance streetscapes and support our unique local businesses across Etobicoke, The Kingsway & Bloor West Village while preserving the distinct character of our neighbourhoods.
We envision sustainable and equitable urban spaces in Etobicoke, Bloor West Village & The Kingsway where every
stakeholder's needs are considered and respected. Transportation is integral to the thriving of our merchant and hospitality sectors.
● Inclusivity in Dialogue: We seek an inclusive conversation that prioritizes the
safety and needs of cyclists, drivers, pedestrians and businesses.
● Strategic Bike Lane Placement: We advocate for well-thought-out bike lanes that enhance safety and accessibility without overburdening our transportation
infrastructure.
● Collaborative Urban Planning: Working alongside local authorities and
stakeholders, we aim for a balanced approach to urban infrastructure changes,
especially concerning bike lanes.
● Community Engagement and Input: We value community feedback in street
design, promoting an open dialogue to integrate diverse viewpoints into planning and implementation.
● Accountability and Transparency: We demand responsibility and openness from city council in decision-making processes, emphasizing evidence-based policies that prioritize community well-being.
We strive to create a city where bike lanes promote health and
activity, reflecting the values and aspirations of our dynamic community. Together, we can build a sustainable, inclusive urban environment that ensures everyone's safety and well-being.
We believe that a balanced, well-considered approach to urban planning can accommodate the needs of cyclists, drivers, pedestrians, and local businesses, leading to a harmonious and efficient shared urban space
We express our strong opposition to the Bloor
West bike lane extension completed in November 2023. It has lead to a series of significant community issues. Our stance is based on the following beliefs:
1. Inefficient Use of Space: The bike lanes are notably under-utilized, contributing to congestion and confusion on our main roads.
2. Emergency Response Delays: The new lane structure has caused marked
delays in emergency vehicle responses, potentially risking lives.
3. Environmental and Traffic Concerns: The extension has inadvertently
increased pollution, exacerbated traffic problems, particularly during rush hours, and has increased traffic on side streets, endangering pedestrians, cyclists and children.
4. Parking and Accessibility Challenges: The redesign has resulted in reduced
and less safe parking options, adversely affecting individuals with accessibility
needs.
5. Deterioration of Pedestrian Experience: Pedestrians are facing increased
difficulties due to the bike lane design and associated traffic changes.
6. Increased Maintenance Costs: The bike lanes require significant upkeep,
especially in winter, despite their minimal use during this season.
7. Loss of Business Revenue: With the added congestion and limited cyclist patronage, businesses along Bloor St. are reporting reduced footfall, which threatens their livelihoods and impacts the vitality of our local economy.
Call for Action: We urgently request a halt to any further bike lane extensions in the area. A thorough and inclusive review process is necessary, involving all stakeholders.
This review should be:
● Transparent: All data and decision-making processes must be open to public
scrutiny.
● Data-Driven: Decisions should be based on comprehensive traffic and usage
studies.
● Flexible: The review should be open to the possibility of amending or even
removing the bike lanes, depending on the findings.
I want to thank all of the petition supporters and community members who attended the in person event hosted by Stephen Holyday on Feb 28th. This event was an opportunity for our diverse community members to make their voices heard regarding the several issues which have been caused due to the recent bike lane installation.
In light of the media coverage, I also wanted to respond, as the characterization of the meeting has the potential to derail the work we are doing to ensure our community concerns are heard. We would like to stress yet again that this cause is not about drivers versus bikers, this is about equitable use of the road and responsible infrastructure, design and planning. There have been a multitude of attempts to label us as anti cyclists and this is not the case. We are declaring this ourselves and any further attempt to label us as anti cyclists will be defamation.
While I agree some attendees of the meeting could have been more respectful, matters were made worse when a pro-cyclist advocate stormed the stage and refused to wait in line to make his comments. This contributed significantly to the frustrated tone of the meeting. I am concerned that what has been focused on in some reports vastly mischaracterizes the intent of the meeting. I want to state that I do not condone violence of any type. One of the attendees made inappropriate comments, I do not condone violence towards any person and in particular towards any cyclist, as I am cyclist and advocate for safety for all road users. We invite all sides of this issue to watch the recorded video of the meeting which is available online.
I have consistently advocated for safe streets, which can include bike lanes. What the community as a whole is concerned about is the apparent lack of consideration for the safety of the whole community. We have been asking to have our concerns heard. We have been asking for the City to consider the impacts the new bike lanes have had on the arterial roads in the neighbourhood now that Bloor is choked with traffic. We are asking to have first responders to be part of the consultation so we know that in the event of a fire or emergency they can respond quickly. We are asking for a process that uses data and metrics to determine if bike lanes are appropriate for a community.
We continue to hear from a huge number of Ward 3 constituents regarding Amber Morley’s lack of response to the many, many emails and questions she continues to receive from her own concerned constituents. Amber Morley is not listening to the people she was elected to represent. She continues to not respond to her own constituents and yet very quickly after this public meeting she took to X (formerly known as twitter) to provide an extremely biased and inaccurate account of this meeting, which was attended by a large number of her constituents. Amber Morley also claimed she was “not invited” to this meeting. However, this was a public meeting open to anyone. Why would Councillor Morley send her staff but not attend herself in person when she knows how serious this issue is for a large portion of the people she is paid to and elected to represent.
Consistently we have heard that the City is making decisions based on facts - only to learn that there are no facts, there is no data, there is no process. And people wonder why the community is frustrated. People ask me, why are you still fighting, the bike lanes are already installed. I am continuing efforts to be the voice of the community because I believe the City needs to have a built-in mechanism to review bike lanes annually after installation to understand the overall impact to the community. The review should include:
1. Traffic and Congestion Study - can mitigation strategies be put in place to ensure both car and bicycle traffic can flow where road bed capacity has been reduced. Should traffic management systems be considered to mitigate the impact of reduced road bed capacity.
2. Impact on Business - Survey businesses impacted to understand the true economic costs of installing bike lanes. Consideration should be given to providing tax benefits to businesses during any transition. Should there be no impact on businesses the City would not lose tax revenue. The City should also consider replacing lost parking spaces to reduce the impact to businesses.
3. First Responder Response Time Review. Police, Fire and Ambulance should be consulted as bike lanes are being considered to ensure there are no negative impacts on response times. Should there be impacts that put the community at risk, the city should consider investing in new emergency infrastructure to ensure there is no impact on overall response times.
4. Review overall use case for bike lanes. How many people use the bike lanes, what is the peak and do the costs associated with the construction and maintenance of the bike lanes justify the expense.
The extremist views of some of the cycling advocates are truly frightening. There is a small, but very loud group of “cycling advocates” in our city who conduct themselves, especially online in a way which is very harassing, and aggressive.. This group is determined to spread hate and misinformation. They bully and attack anyone who does not agree 100% with their agenda. David Shellnutt “The Biking Lawyer” has tweeted out after the meeting about rallying the cycling community to pay Councillor Holyday a “personal visit”. We live in a city of millions. Our infrastructure must address and take into consideration the unique needs of a large population. We need a system that does not discriminate. The bike lane installation along Bloor discriminates in many ways as well as being designed and implemented to introduce a wide range of problems for our community.
Again we would like to stress that this is NOT about cyclists vs drivers, this is about creating and maintaining proper infrastructure for everybody. We are representing the seniors in our community, we are representing families, we are representing those with disabilities, mobility issues, children, local businesses and local emergency services. We are representing the people of Etobicoke who have been ignored and neglected.
Quote from our local fireman who spoke passionately about the negative and dangerous impacts of the Kingsway bike lanes at the meeting on Feb 28th: “ don’t put us in the position to fail, that’s the problem the city of Toronto has put people in the position to fail” referring to trying to do his job and save lives with his fellow firefighters.
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