The City of Toronto
reports that downtown bike lanes along Simcoe, Richmond
and Adelaide Streets have dramatically increased the number of
cyclists using those routes. Of those
that responded to City surveys, approximately 43% of the
ridership was new.
The City has been conducting pilot projects on these streets and
needs to decide whether to make the new cycling infrastructure
permanent, and whether to extend it eastward.
Key highlights of the results are
- cycling volumes tripled;
- traffic still flows like before; and
- the lanes are popular, but some concerns have arisen, including
some common problems related to drivers and delivery trucks parked
in cycle lanes, or drivers being concerned about turning right
across a cycle lane; and significant negative impacts were
reported by 44% of survey respondents with disabilities, who
use mobility devices or service dogs.
