June 8, 2020 - Many cities across Canada such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Victoria, Ottawa, Kitchener and Moncton have all recently extended their cycling networks reports CBC.ca, but are they here to stay?
Municipal governments are quickly creating clearly marked bicycle lanes, including partial or complete road closures, in order for people to travel safely through cities as an emergency alternative to public transit.
While urban planners and cycling advocates like Jennifer Keesmaat, Toronto’s former city planner, support such initiatives, she hopes the new bike lanes will become permanent. Keesmaat recently spearheaded the 2020 Declaration for Resilience in Canadian Cities, a statement signed by 100 well-known Canadians calling on political leaders to use the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to “kickstart” a move toward more accessible, equitable, and sustainable cities.
Kimberley Nelson of Vélo Bikes Canada believes cyclists will need to put pressure on political leaders in order for the temporary extension to be made permanent.
“We really need to come together and push those communities that are doing it now as a temporary measure, to say ‘hey, look how much better this street works when everybody is included’,” Nelson told CBC.ca.
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