THE CITY OF Toronto has begun peddling a new bike lane project along Bloor Street.
Daniel Egan, manager of cycling infrastructure and programs, said there is an assessment going on this year, and public consultation could begin in the fall. The plan is to create cycling infrastructure along 24 kilometres of Bloor Street. It is being created under the Toronto Bike Plan — Shifting Gears, a 10-year project that improves cycling infrastructure.
Todd Sherman, restaurant owner of Hey Lucy that fronts on Bloor Street in the Annex, said removing street parking for bike lanes would be a big mistake.
“[People] will look for a parking space and then go to a restaurant in front of that space,” Sherman said, adding there is not enough pedestrian traffic along Bloor to sustain a viable restaurant industry.
Yvonne Bambrick, executive director of Toronto Cyclists Union, said the goal of the project is to minimize the impact on traffic patterns, traffic flow and parking while providing a safer cycling infrastructure.
She said there are many options the city is exploring, such as “sharrows,” or bike lanes that share the road with vehicles or bike lanes in between the sidewalk and a parking lane.
“As much as parking has been a sales feature for condos in the past, even that’s changing,” Bambrick said.
“If we look at the long-term development of that east-west corridor … a new form of transportation will be a drawing feature.”
