Etobicoke residents launch petition over new Bloor Street West bike lanes, cyclists blame drivers

Etobicoke residents have launched an online petition calling on the city to re-evaluate the Bloor Street West bike extension and newly installed lanes, but cyclists say they’re not the problem.

The Change.org petition was created on Monday, October 23. It lists several issues, including what one man called “potentially inaccurate bike usage data from the High Park counter, noticeable congestion due to lane reductions, decreased business footfall, potential delays for emergency vehicles, and the observed scarcity of cyclists.”

“We advocate for a re-evaluation to ensure a harmonious and safe balance between bike lanes and vehicular traffic, emphasizing the need for Bloor Street to retain two lanes of traffic in each direction,” wrote Cody MacRae, the petition’s creator.

MacRae adds that Etobicoke residents have “pressing concerns” about the recent bike lanes added to Bloor Street and its community roadways. The petition has received just over 5,500 signatures as of Thursday with a goal of 7,500.

“While we understand the importance of promoting sustainable transportation, we believe that the current method of bike lane implementation requires reconsideration and a more balanced approach.”

David Shellnutt, known as The Biking Lawyer, shared a video on X showing a lineup of cars parked on the newly installed Bloor Street West bike lanes.

“That’s funny, these painted lanes seem to getting tons of use,” Shellnutt wrote on X.

We hear there's a petition going around to remove the newly installed Bloor W #bikelanes #bikeTO because no one is using them. That's funny, these painted lanes seem to getting tons of use! pic.twitter.com/BkllBTUmqN

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) October 26, 2023

“I love it when drivers condescendingly say that cyclists should just follow all the laws of the road when it comes to stop signs and such,” James McLeod wrote in a quote tweet on X.

“Meanwhile, drivers relentlessly break the law parking/speeding/texting, with complete contempt for the safety of other people on the road.”

City responds to Bloor Street West bike lanes petition

When reached by email, a city spokesperson said that phase one of the Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension installation is ongoing and is anticipated to be complete by the end of the year.

“Throughout 2022 and 2023, the city has undertaken extensive business and community consultation for the Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension project, which aims to improve safety for people walking, cycling and driving, support the qualities that make Bloor Street West a place, and maintain roadway space for transit, emergency services, deliveries, shopping and commuting,” the city spokesperson said.

According to the city, the objective is to minimize the impact on motor vehicle traffic, which officials view as a “fundamental objective of the complete streets design.”

“Adjustments to signal timing will be made to mitigate traffic delays, and the area will continue to be monitored after the complete street project installation so that issues can be addressed using real-time data,” they said.

“Three separate studies concluded that bikeways on different sections of Bloor Street West significantly increased the number of people cycling in the area, increased road safety and had positive economic impacts on local businesses.”

In 2017, City Council voted to make the pilot on Bloor Street permanent. The city extended cycle tracks on Bloor Street west from Shaw Street to Runnymede Road in 2020 and 2021.

The goal of the project was to create “a safe, multi-modal and vibrant Bloor Street West” and a “comfortable cycling space that physically separates cyclists from drivers,” the city said.

One of the issues mentioned in the petition was the recent transition from two lanes to single lanes to accommodate the bike lanes, which residents and motorists say has “significantly reduced the efficiency of vehicle flow.”

“In the existing conditions, the intersections of Jane Street and South Kingsway experience traffic congestion primarily associated with left-turning movements. It is anticipated that there would be further impacts to these movements associated with the proposed lane modifications,” the document states.

“To mitigate these impacts, the left-turn lanes are proposed to be extended in length to provide additional queuing capacity, and efforts will be made to better coordinate the operations of the South Kingsway and Jane Street traffic signals. West of South Kingsway… at Aberfoyle Crescent, study area intersections are expected to operate generally well.”

The city’s “Cycling Network Plan” mentioned that through the Bloor West Village area, the intersections are anticipated to “generally operate well” but noted that some increases in delays through movements can be expected due to the proposed lane modifications.