June 16, 2022 - Mike Layton is Toronto City Councillor for Ward 11, University-Rosedale, and among his many accomplishments, he has been one of the strongest voices for cycling in Canada’s largest city. From protected bike lanes on iconic Yonge St. to making the city’s ActiveTO routes permanent, Layton is bullish on growing cycling’s footprint in Toronto and beyond. The son of former legendary NDP leader Jack Layton and MP Olivia Chow, both avid riders and cycling advocates, Layton also championed affordable housing, arts, aboriginal issues, public transit, renewable energy projects etc. Ebikes International caught up with him for his take on the cycling boom and what lies ahead in these challenging times that have been good for two wheels in Toronto and around the globe.

Cycling’s in your blood as your parents Jack and Olivia were strong advocates and owned a fleet of bikes – what was it like growing up then as cycling was not as popular as it is today?
Mike Layton: I like to say I that I grew up on the back of a tandem bike… dad was always manoeuvering us through the uncertain cycling landscape at that time. Riding in traffic was always an issue – I remember riding down Shuter St. and feeling the relief when hitting the Martin Goodman Trail. We’ve come a long way since those days.

You have a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies so cycling really hits home – prior to the pandemic were you seeing a change both locally and nationally in the acceptance of cycling?
ML: While it’s been a surprisingly slower process than we’d have liked, we’ve seen a major shift in the last couple of years – not just with the number of people out on bikes but with the quality of the infrastructure as well. The debate is less about a fringe group enjoying a pasttime or hobby, and more about a legitimate way of getting around the city – a welcome shift in public discourse. Yet it’s not a mindset shared by everyone as bike lanes have been put in and come out later. We still have a long way to go but we’ve taken some good steps in the right direction.

In 2020 Toronto saw almost 40km of new on-street cycling infrastructure – a record for one year – and in Dec. 2021 seven ActiveTO cycling routes became permanent – that has to feel good.
ML: Yes for sure… the University St. bike lane wasn’t in the original discussions and Councillor Joe Cressy and I pushed for it and made some strategic moves, so I’m glad it made it into plan. Yorkville wasn’t in the plan either and we had to do a lot of local manoeuvering to ensure it got in. I was quite happy with helping to shape some of the outcomes within my Ward 11 and beyond. 

Protected bike lanes on iconic Yonge St. are another coup for Toronto even if a long time coming… your thoughts ?
ML: Yonge St. came a bit later and yes it’s another great step forward. We were also trying to get a section of Yonge south of College passed. The approval of Yonge St. was like an ActiveTO 2.0… yet it’s a challenge and I was hoping for a little more time for the report coming next year, but the Mayor’s office moved it forward. It’s never a good time to debate bike lanes in January – summer is always better.

Toronto’s 2022-2024 plan says “… install and upgrade about 100 km of meaningful bikeway projects across the city over the next three years” – tell us more about the agenda/goals.
ML: I haven’t checked in recently on the overall plan so I’m not quite sure about the overall trajectory… we’ve really been focused on the bike lanes in our Ward on College St. and Palmerston Boulevard.

What’s your take on e-bikes as they’re surging around the world…  and how do we kick start e-bike and e-cargo bike incentives across Canada?
ML: We made a request for incentives in Transform TO, our climate plan, to develop a program for rebates for e-bikes and bicycles but that report hasn’t come back yet – we expect that it will be next term.

The re-definition of e-bikes in Ontario under the MOM’s act falls short – even banning some models – but no amendments were accepted. What can done to improve this situation?
ML: I remember that e-bikes were part of the discussion but I would need to review the final bill to see how improvements could be made.

In Dec. 2021 Toronto also approved a provincial pilot for e-cargo bikes weighing more than 120 kg aimed at commercial users… were you involved?
ML: That was my initiative, which was initially put forward for the city to purchase e-cargo bikes for maintenance. I introduced it because I saw a Tweet from Don Iverson (Mayor of Edmonton) and Edmonton’s not going to eat my lunch on bicycles so I stole the idea. Since then there have been other programs brought forward to facilitate the commercial use of e-cargo bikes like this pilot.

Are you satisfied with the city’s current growth and plans – Toronto still has a way to go vs other major cities like Chicago, Paris, Milan who have ramped things up at well?
ML: In order to achieve our climate targets we need to be moving a whole lot faster… it’s frustrating with the pace that we get new projects on-boarded. In part we don’t have the staff to do the community engagement and design work, and many communities and councillors aren’t there yet, so this all takes some time. We have a minimum grid around Ward 11 but I have scars from most of those battles and also made some enemies. It was all worth having, but still took some time. Without supportive councillors and a relatively high cycling population, like you have in Paris and the other places mentioned, you’ve got a problem. Also doing projects on the cheap can impact the quality and fall short of objectives resulting in some bike paths being removed. 

You mentioned reviving the Queen’s Park pro criterium race which drew big crowds in its heyday – what can you tell us?  
ML: We don’t have any details as yet as it’s run by a third party but we were approached by folks that wanted to bring back the idea and I’m fully supportive of it. 

Twice you’ve been voted “Best City Councillor” by NOW Magazine readers – congrats – what are you most proud of achieving both cycling and non-cycling?
ML: For cycling I’d say getting bike lanes on Bloor St. and University Ave. which were significant achievements that have grown into so much more. And for non-cycling my work around climate change or reconciliation – I helped get the Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee re-established and have served on it for 11 years (he’s co-chair).  

What do you ride and have you tried riding an e-bike… ?
ML: We own a Nihola e-cargo bike and it’s great… it’s our only vehicle as we don’t own a car. This is actually our third cargo bike and the first two were non-electric. We bought the Nihola from a friend and Curbside Cycle added the e-drive system and its really increased our range so we love it.

Thanks for your time and your efforts to promote cycling ?
ML: Thanks as well.

Read more on Mike Layton here.
This interview was conducted prior to the recent ActiveTO announcement re: Lakeshore West here.