May 29, 2020 - On May 28 at Toronto City Council, the #ActiveTO cycling network plan, the largest expansion of the Toronto’s on-street bike network ever in one year, was approved in a final vote of 23 to 2.
Celebrate Tonight, More Work Tomorrow
Today is one for the history books! Toronto City Council just passed the largest package of cycling infrastructure in our city’s history: 40 km of bike lanes to be installed in a little over a month.
Toronto, this victory is yours!
Today’s vote is a historic first step to building an equitable cycling network across our city. This is a victory for every person that emailed, knocked on doors, signed pledges, wrote letters, tweeted and rode their bikes on streets not designed with them in mind. Take a moment and soak it in; Toronto is going to get a lot better for biking very soon.
Today’s package includes new projects in North York and Scarborough, some new connections within the core, a new protected bike lane along University Ave, and a major advancement of Cycle Toronto’s campaigns along Bloor and Danforth, which will see a 15 km continuous bikeway this summer.
Thank you to Mayor John Tory, and all the champions and supporters on Council who voted to make this happen. This success will create more champions going forward. Take a moment and say thank you so that Council is encouraged to support these types of projects in the future.
Now is a time to celebrate. Tweet, Facebook, Instagram, and email your happiness with #ActiveTO. Let your Councillors, the Mayor, your friends, and family know this is a turning point for our city, that bikes bring business, that safe streets are important, and that active transportation and cycling will be essential to the economic and social recovery of Toronto.
We’re not done.
Tomorrow, it will be time to get back to work. Essential parts of the Cycling Network Plan have been accelerated, but it is still not complete. Nearly all of the bike lanes that just passed Council are “temporary” as part of a rapid pandemic response, and there are big gaps.
We need to make sure that the TTC Line 1 subway on Yonge has a “transit safety valve,” that midtown is connected to the rest of the city, and that Etobicoke, North York, and Scarborough see the same transportation equity as the core, especially along crowded bus routes where neighbourhoods are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
All of this is going to take a lot more work. It took decades of advocacy from thousands of people to get us to this point. Cycle Toronto worked tirelessly for months on this package alone. As the process accelerates we’re going to need even more support from our members and donors; the pandemic has made it difficult to host the fun events that make a big contribution to our work. Every dollar from a membership or donation helps. No amount is insignificant and now is the perfect time for us to work together amplifying your voice at City Hall. Please ask your family or friends to join as members of Cycle Toronto – the more voices, the better.
Tonight, our team will be celebrating with you. Tomorrow, we’ll be back to work to make Toronto an even safer, healthier, and more vibrant cycling for all.
Join Cycle Toronto here.
Make a Donation here.
Thank you for your support!
Michael Longfield
Interim Executive Director
