Bike lanes on Bloor get boost from councillors, businesses

Pilot project for five kilometres of new bike lanes on Bloor St. goes to first vote next week.

Thestar.com
April 19, 2016
By Jennifer Pagliaro

Plans for a $500,000 pilot project for five kilometres of bike lanes along a busy stretch of Bloor St. got a boost Tuesday from local councillors, businesses and cycling advocates.
The organized show of support comes a week before the pilot faces a first vote for approval at public works committee ahead of council in May.

If given the green light, curbside lanes separated by flexible posts from Shaw St. to Avenue Rd. would be installed by the end of the summer as a test run for more permanent infrastructure - what would be the most substantial single addition to the cycling grid since pilot lanes were installed on Richmond and Adelaide streets.

“It’s been a long time in the making,” said Councillor Mike Layton, an avid cyclist whose Ward 19 (Trinity-Spadina) encompasses a large stretch of the proposed pilot. “People are comfortable with what they know, and change can come with a bit of shock value to it. And so, this is our opportunity to try something to attempt at making the street better.”

Backed by local business and resident associations, Layton and neighbouring councillor Joe Cressy, representing Ward 20 (Trinity-Spadina), made the pitch to pave way for the new lanes.

“By having a pilot we will have the opportunity to make sure that this bike lane works for cyclists, pedestrians, drivers and local business,” said Cressy.

“In the past, far too often cycling infrastructure has been a divisive topic, as if it is a win or a loss. That’s not the case with how this pilot bike lane will work, nor is it the case with how we’ve approached it. This can be and should be a win-win for everybody.”

After a public consultation, the preferred plan for the separated lanes on both sides of the street are detailed in a new staff report headed to public works committee.

The report says Bloor was identified as “high priority” for cycling lanes by city studies and also cyclists.

“A continuous cycling facility along Bloor Street could be one of the most significant bikeways in the city cycling network due to the length and location of the corridor and the high level of bicycle use in this part of the city,” the report says.

Staff noted two concerns that impact drivers: Travel delays and fewer places to park.

The bike lanes will reduce the number of lanes for cars to one in each direction at all hours, “which may result in travel time increases along this stretch,” the report says.

Staff hope to alleviate some of that added congestion by adding dedicated turn lanes at “key” intersections and adjusting traffic signal timing.

Putting in the lanes will remove 135 of the current 280 on-street parking spaces on Bloor and cost the city $840,000 in lost revenue annually.

Under the pilot, parking would only be available on one side of the street, between the bike lane and traffic, but would alternate sides depending on several factors, including the need for business deliveries where there is no laneway access.

Matt Languay, owner of the two-month old Basecamp Climbing on Bloor St. near Manning Ave., said he supports the installation of lanes outside his gym.

“Having bike lanes on Bloor is going to, number one, make it a lot safer for our current members to be able to get to the gym and, number two, bring in a lot of traffic from outside this area,” he said.

After the city consulted cyclists, motorists, pedestrians and local businesses, support for the lanes was mixed.

While 96 per cent of cyclists and 85 per cent of pedestrians supported the lanes, only 46 per cent of motorists and storefront owners thought it was a good idea.

More than 50 per cent of businesses surveyed said on-street parking was “very important” to their storefronts.

Brian Burchell, chair of the Bloor Annex BIA, said many businesses are fearful their businesses will suffer but said they along with other partners have commissioned an economic impact study to get more information about how the lanes change customer behaviour and delivery issues.

“We think that these cyclists could very well represent a much larger customer base then the cars that are driven now to Bloor St. and parked where the bike lanes will be,” he said.

The configuration of the lanes is meant to separate keep cyclists distanced from car traffic by parked vehicles. Staff hope the design will prevent cyclists from being doored or from vehicles illegally parking in the cycling lanes while protecting motorists from bikes encroaching on their space.

A vast majority of the motorists surveyed who were against the bike lanes said they do not feel comfortable driving next to cyclists on Bloor.

Most of the survey respondents agreed a curbside bike lane is, as one cyclist put it, the “gold standard” for comfort and safety.

“It meets the needs of all road users: drivers do not have to deal with cyclists potentially entering their lane, cars have the ability to park on the street, cyclists are protected from cars - it is the superior option,” wrote one participant.

While the lanes are currently designed to be separated by posts, staff said they would consider using more attractive planter boxes in some areas.

It will cost an additional $95,000 annually to maintain the lanes, according to the report.

On Monday, Mayor John Tory said he would support the pilot project and wanted to see “objective” and “rigorous” results for the city to make a more permanent decision.

“I’m not adverse to a pilot project as long as ... you make an honest effort to objectively find out after you’ve done it what the impact has been on business, traffic, on businesses, on cyclists and pedestrians, everybody involved,” he told reporters.

Results of the pilot would be submitted to committee on the in the third quarter of 2017.

When public works meets next week, they’ll be more than one cycling item on the agenda.

Another report recommends more incremental additions to the city’s cycling network by extending lanes on several streets, including on Sumach St. between King St. East and Queen St. East and on Landsdowne Ave. between College St. and Dundas St. West.

Public works chair Councillor Jaye Robinson is also asking whether federal infrastructure money can be allocated to fund the extension of the West Toronto Railpath and East Don Trail - projects totaling $49 million and both completely unfunded.