The Yonge St. bike lanes running from Bloor St. to Davisville Ave. are a hotly contested bit of infrastructure. Some see them as a congestion nightmare, others view them as a welcome addition to the bike transport network.
The official stance is that the “Complete Streets” plan, allowing dedicated bike lanes as well as outdoor cafes, is safest for all users.
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However, vehicle congestion on this part of Yonge St. has long been an issue, and it has increased with the Complete Streets pilot.
City Hall’s infrastructure and environment committee meets Monday to decide whether to make the midtown Yonge St. bikes lanes permanent.
Residents’ groups oppose the bike lanes, arguing — among other things — that this congestion has made life unsafe and unpleasant for those who live in the area.
One has started a change.org petition and is putting up lawn signs in the neighbourhood.
The group, BeRationalTO.com, has a long list of reasons why bike lanes make no sense on this portion of Yonge. They hope city council will remove them.
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The congestion, they claim, has made it near impossible for fire engines and ambulances to move quickly in the area.
And with dozens of new condo towers going in along that part of Yonge — and lengthy renovations scheduled for three subway stations in the area — armies of construction vehicles will help make Yonge gridlock-city.
Travelling north from Bloor, Yonge is quite narrow beyond St. Clair Ave. One of the primary objections to the bike lanes is that the roadway is just not wide enough to support them safely.
Those who want the bike lanes removed point to Avenue Rd. as a better location — it’s six lanes wide and can be connected to the University Ave. bike lanes south of Bloor.
Trevor Townsend, a spokesperson for BeRationalTO, said the Yonge bike lanes are underused for a large part of the year and create, “a lot of chaos and gridlock for the benefit of a few.
“Nobody is saying, ‘we hate bike lanes.’ But let’s be practical. Move them to streets where it makes the most sense.”
On the pro-bike-lane side, there is also an actionnetwork.org petition circulating.
Robin Richardson, of Yonge4all.ca, said cycling is not just a recreational thing — it’s a mode of transportation and people need bike lanes to get around the city safely.
“There are lots of people like my family who get to school or go shopping or visit their favourite take-out restaurant on a bike.
“Yonge St. is a great place for bike lanes. There’s so much there, and it’s a great street for commuting. Those who need to drive will benefit from there being fewer cars on the road.
“It’s important that these major streets have safe space for everyone.”
As for the upcoming condo developments in the neighbourhood, many will not include any parking spaces. The population is expected to increase by 10,000 as the buildings go in.
“Those people will have to get to the same places we all have to get to, and need safe ways to get around.
“We need to make sure the infrastructure is there,” said Richardson.
“It’s not a war on cars. Nobody’s banning cars. We just want everybody to get around safely and be able to move safely through their city.”
Both BeRationalTO.com and Yonge4all.ca have their supporters and their detractors. Both claim to have backing from local merchants.
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Both groups will be represented at Monday’s meeting of the infrastructure and environment committee.
One consideration with this strip of Yonge is its pivotal role in the transit system. It has to handle fleets of shuttle buses whenever there’s a problem on the subway, and one lane each way is inadequate.
The Summerhill Residents Association states in a letter to the committee:
“A 12.8-metre-wide pavement cannot hold the minimum four travel lanes needed for shuttle buses or priority surface transit in addition to bike lanes.”
The association makes seven valid points for bike lane removal, beginning with this one:
“The future impact on travel modes of reducing the road capacity by 50% while intensifying development has not been assessed.”
Ward 11 Councillor Dianne Saxe did not respond to a request for comment on that point.