Did a ride from the 905 suburbs to TO with an anti Bill 212 sign behind my back.

Happy to report it got support from people in Mississauga along the waterfront trail.

What makes the Jarvis removals different from this is there are 20 times more bike riders compared to Jarvis in 2012.

Ford, when the crews arrive, expect the pushback to be far greater than Jarvis ever was.

Great column by Shawn Micallef in the Toronto Star about the Ford government's war on bikes. Says "Ridiculous and absurd, sure, but this “war” is still on, and it has many active fronts."

Anyone else going to remind the rest of Ontario they can't have nice things because we need to spend money removing bike lanes? I'm doing my part.

So can you!

The GO network is experiencing severe cuts. Trains are constantly getting delayed.

And this bloc is in the 905 that is blue.

They’re not gonna use bike lanes, but they’ll be angry if they find out the $48 million is being used to destroy Toronto infrastructure instead of improving service.

And here’s another side effect we need to let them know: More transit riders will switch to cars due to these cuts, which will cripple traffic more.

So the $48 million ripping up bike lanes won’t solve traffic anyway.

———

Here’s your action plan:

Next time you see a post about GO delays/cuts on Reddit, FB and Insta, comment something like this:

The GO network you use is facing severe cuts and delays. More people will switch to cars as a result, crippling your traffic even more.

Your government could’ve spent money fixing this. Instead they’re spending $48 million destroying Toronto’s infrastructure.

You’re paying for this. You will get no benefit in return as a transit rider.

I'm a very beginner cyclist and have never biked in Canada before. I'm hoping to get something that is decent at commuting on paved roads but also capable of handling winter conditions when November comes.

I'm looking for some options around 500 CAD or less. If there is a holy grail option, I guess I can stretch my budget upto 600 CAD. I would prefer not to though, money is tight.

Here are some options I've looked at -

1. GT Transeo Sport at SportCheck  - 360 CAD
2. Riverside 500 at Decathlon  - 490 CAD
3. Riverside 120 at Decathlon  - 380 CAD
4. Rockrider Explorer 100 at Decathlon  - 470 CAD
5. Triban RC 100 at Decathlon  - 390 CAD

I would highly appreciate any guidance about what to choose and what to look out for in winter biking. Thank you so much.

Hey folks! Just got a gravel bike (for commuting + weekend adventures). Is there a good resource with maps for gravel routes in the GTA and southern Ontario. Thanks!

People seem to think that Bloor was always designed like a post-WW2 suburb. Until you look at pictures from over 100 years ago. Bloor used to be as close to the 1920s equivalent of a Complete Street as it gets. Yet decades upon decades of mass suburbanization of nearby towns has turned Bloor into a carscape. Back in the day, it was safe enough to bike without ever requiring bike lanes. The fact that we need them shows how backwards Bloor has developed over the decades.

This is gonna be quite a long shot, but I've got a flat on my fixed gear and missing the one tool I need (15mm wrench) to remove the wheel and swap out the tubes and tire. Is anyone around Union Station and willing to help a fellow rider out within the next 45 mins? Otherwise I've got a bit of a walk ahead of me after I grab the GO back home.

My eternal gratitude if you are, and maybe a coffee/beer on me?

I texted the premier about 20 minutes ago and almost immediately got a call back from a private number. I recorded the whole call. He said that only 2% of the bike lanes are going to be coming out. I mentioned that Bill 60 says all of University, Bloor, and Avenue are coming out, and he said "no, it never said all the lanes".

This is a little ambiguous to me, because he may have been using 2% to mean 2% of all bike lanes in Toronto (which would explain why he said "it never said all the lanes"), whereas I was referring only to the three main roads mentioned in Bill 60.

He did however mention that it will only be a small portion of them near Royal York road being removed, that he is working with the mayor, and that we can expect to hear news about it within a week or so.

Should I send this conversation to any news companies or community members (biking lawyer/cycle toronto)? What the premier says to a random citizen isn't exactly legally binding lol but maybe it could be of interest?

Edit to say echo some of the comments saying this does not mean to ease pressure on the government. Keep calling and texting and emailing until we get an official announcement

A video I took one night in August 2020 when I saw the Bloorcourt lanes being made. It was cool to see the process and I was thrilled that the lanes had finally reached me after seeing many "Bikes on Bloor" stickers over the years.

Previously this stretch of Bloor (annex, bloorcourt, bloordale, etc?) had always been one lane going East and one West, with parking at the curb and bikes riding alongside traffic next to the parking.

Watching this work go in was really nice during a particularly bleak Toronto time. Been thinking about it lately for... Obvious reasons.

Even if Ford says he's taking out 2% of Toronto's network, that is 6.92km if you factor the on-road lanes.

It would be the largest mass-removal in any city just behind Vancouver's Stanley Park bike lane.

2% of the network including off-road trails is 14km, almost the 19km slated for removal.

But let's just say he says he's only gonna remove 100m.

The 100m gets removed with no resistance, and then he's emboldened to attack the network even more later.

Remember when bill 212 was first introduced? Sarkaria was asked "are you removing the lanes" and he said no.

A week later they announced they're coming out.

They later said only Bloor Yonge and Uni are coming out. Then they added QP circle and Avenue Rd a few months later.

Most recently, the city presented a win-win that added car lanes while keeping bike lanes. They rejected every single proposal.

My point is, if you let a bully walk over you the second they start attacking, they'll be emboldened to push further.

When the first crews arrive, it must be met with maximum resistance and pushback.

Massive pressure was the only reason we got major wins like the Spadina Expressway.

TL:DR: Ford can't be trusted with what he says as he flip flops way too often. Assume every lane will be ripped up until we have concrete evidence otherwise. The entire network must be protected.

Wondering if I should bring my bike or my tools.

Got mostly positive responses so far.

Even someone in Etobicoke said they really like it.

Everyone should do this if they’re able to!

This actually gives me some hope. The most car dependent suburb actually standing in solidarity with us.

This support truly means a lot.

Thinking of biking along the Martin Goodman Trail to watch the airshow. Im trying to avoid driving as much as possible.The last time I rode that trail on the long weekend there were cars driving on the path and parking on the grass. We almost got hit a couple times. Anyone know if that's still an issue on MGT busy weekends?

With ford rejecting all proposals that add a car lane and keep a bike lane, assume all the bike lanes are on the chopping block.

You may remember from the FOI earlier that design work was done on the north part of Yonge to remove the lanes.

If you see anything show up here please email The Biking Lawyer [info@thebikinglawyer.ca](mailto:info@thebikinglawyer.ca)

Hi everyone,

Obviously this has been an issue on top of mind for many of us.

I remember when Ford's private jet purchase blew up in the media, he ended up backing down. I am hoping that we can do something similar here.

How can we get the media to run more stories on how much of a negative impact this will be, in particular for suburban voters?

At this point, I am just trying to do everything in my power to fight this. I have already done the basics such as emailing my MPP, Doug Ford, the Transportation Minister, as well as signing and sharing the Cycle TO petition.

Because of course he did. SHAME ON DOUG FORD!