Ontario Construction News staff writer
A project to design and add a bikeway along Toronto’s Bloor Street West is expected to go to the City’s infrastructure and environment committee and city council this spring, and if approved could be installed in August.
If it gets the go-ahead, the bikeway would extend the existing Bloor Street Bike Lanes westward from Shaw Street to Runnymede Road. The proposed protected bike lanes would create dedicated space for people cycling, and improve safety for all road users, says the City.
Public consultations were held from Jan. 24 to Feb. 14, 2020, with feedback being reviewed for inclusion in the project design. That Input will be summarized in a report to be posted to the project website.
The new bikeway would support the City’s efforts to improve the design of streets for all road users, including cyclists, based, says the City, on the following policies/initiatives/statistics:
- The Official Plan for the City identifies sustainable transportation as a priority, with a goal to make walking, cycling and public transit increasingly attractive alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle use. In order to make Toronto a ‘walking city,’ the goal is to bring all Toronto residents within 1 km of a designated cycling route
- The Road to Health: Healthy Toronto by Design found that increased physical activity is associated with reduced risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers
- The Vision Zero Road Safety Plan strives to reduce traffic-related fatalities and injuries in Toronto, in part through the provision of safe cycling routes throughout the city
- The TransformTO climate action strategy has a goal of 75% of trips under 5 km to be walked or cycled by 2050
- Fewer people are driving and more are cycling city-wide. Between 2006–2016, 5% fewer people were driving to work and people cycling has doubled to 2.7%
- The Complete Streets Guidelines emphasize that streets are for people, place-making, and prosperity: they should be safe and accessible, they should give people choices and connected networks, and they should promote healthy and active living
- The City supports reducing reliance on motor vehicles by providing alternatives to driving, allowing for roadways to be used more efficiently and for users who have no choice (e.g. emergency, deliveries)
“Bikeways encourage people of all ages and abilities to ride. The majority of people rate themselves as ‘interested but concerned’ about cycling and will only do so if bikeways feel safe,” says the City, adding that extending the existing Bloor Street West Bike Lanes will do that.
The existing bikeway along Bloor from Avenue Road to Shaw Street was installed as a pilot project in 2016. It has since become the second busiest in the city, with approximately 5,220 daily users.
“With many destinations along the corridor, the bikeway extension would connect vibrant neighbourhoods, serving businesses and residents. Bloor Street is one of the few east-west arterials in the city without streetcar tracks, which allows for greater flexibility in the design. The bikeway would also be supported by the Line 2 subway.”
The City’s Cycling Network Plan named the corridor a priority for expansion of the cycling network. Lessons learned from the Bloor Street Pilot include:
- more people are cycling with a 56% increase after install
- safety improved for all users with a 44% decrease in all conflicts
- customer spending has increased, although opinion from businesses is mixed
- flexible bollards need improvements, as well as maintenance attention
- wider cycle track design would make it easier to pass
- add parking and loading areas, and determining locations through consultation
- collect and report on data and share lessons learned
- traffic delay can be mitigated with changes to signal timing
- install accessible curb ramps to connect sidewalks to parking and loading
The pilot also showed positive economic benefits, including an increase in average number of customers, an increase in customer spending, and people who biked or walked spent more per month than those who drove or took transit.