Changes coming to Bloor bike lanes, city says

Changes are coming to the separated bike lanes on Bloor Street, due to traffic flow concerns.

The City of Toronto said Friday they are retiming signals, enhancing signage, and modifying intersections after the first phase of the pilot project.

The separated lanes run between Avenue Road and Shaw Street, a distance of about three kilometres. For that strip, traffic is reduced to one lane in each direction. The lanes were installed in August and will be up for a full year.

Drivers who spoke to 680 NEWS on Friday said the lanes were slowing them down significantly.

“It hurts traffic tremendously, especially during rush hours,” one driver said.

However, another person said the real benefit isn’t about drivers – it’s about getting cars off the road.

“I think in terms of encouraging more people to cycle and more people to feel safe, that’s where the real benefit is,” one person told 680 NEWS.

The number of cyclists using Bloor has significantly increased during the pilot project, going from about 3300 riders a day to 4500 a day. That’s an increase of about 36 per cent.

But drive times are also up, with about four minutes added to the morning commute, and about 8.5 minutes added to the evening commute.

The separated lanes are making drivers more comfortable sharing the road, the city found. “About 63 per cent of drivers surveyed indicated they feel comfortable driving next to cyclists on Bloor Street, compared to 14 per cent surveyed in 2015 before installation of the pilot,” the city said in a press release.

The city is also looking at the impact of the lanes on local businesses as well as safety and parking.

Click here to read the full report from the city.