One of the city’s most hotly debated fixtures is here to stay. City council voted in favour of keeping the Bloor Street bike lanes at a council meeting Tuesday afternoon.
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The 2.4 kilometer bike lanes, spanning from Avenue rd. to Shaw st were put in place last year, for a one year pilot. The project would be studied and reviewed before deciding on whether to make them permanent or not. City council voted 36-6 in favour.
Despite the overwhelming approval from most of the council, including Mayor John Tory, the decision was met with the staunchest of critics.
Councillors Jim Karygiannis, Michael Ford and Giorgio Mammoliti argued the city should be focused on cutting down travel times, referencing the report’s findings that the bike lanes extended Bloor st. drivers commute on average of two minutes longer in the morning, and four in the afternoon. Though the projects most outspoken supporter Joe Cressy argued the city should be focused on safety, not travel times. In a year that has seen an uptick in cyclist deaths, city council agreed.
Cressy says the project isn’t yet done, “and now the task becomes to build bike lanes in other areas, all across the city,” According to The Star.
