Ontario's Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller has criticized Toronto and Ontario for failing cyclists and pedestrians. Notch it up to another report (the first being the 1998 Coroner's report) that activists can wave in front of politicians as they waffle and drag their feet:
Toronto's cycling enthusiasts celebrated a small victory this week after the province's environmental commissioner released a report criticizing the city over its lack of bike lanes.
In his annual report, this year entitled Building Resiliance, commissioner Gord Miller criticized Toronto's handling over the Bloor Street revitalization project.
The report said that the city didn't have to consult the public because of the way the project was classified.
"It was classified as an 'A' which means there was very little opportunity for public consultation and discussion that some proponents of cycling wanted to see," Miller said after tabling his report in the provincial legislature on Tuesday.
Miller said the classification resulted in the loss of bikes lanes in the area of Bloor, between Church Street and Avenue Road.
At the time Councillor Rae said they wanted to make this section of Bloor a "destination" rather than just a corridor. Tell that to the motorists.
He said the province needs to do more to ensure bicycles are taken into consideration when municipalities seek provincial approval.
"There should be a mandatory requirement," said Miller "[that] in future in these kinds of projects that cycling and pedestrians — as legitimate forms of transportation — be included in the consideration and the alternatives in discussion and design."
Amen. This is what Bells on Bloor's Albert Koehl has been calling for - a push from the province.
Eventually the Bloor Street Transformation Project plan ended up in court. The city got what it wanted and cyclists ended up with 'sharrows' — a shared lane with traffic — instead of bicycle-only lanes.
Miller's recommendations are a small victory for Albert Koehl, the lawyer who represented cycling advocacy groups on the Bloor Street project.
"We have now the environmental commissioner pointing the finger at the province and saying you've got to do quite a bit more," he said.
Koehl says the report isn't going to change the situation overnight, but will be a weapon in the bigger battle towards having safe streets for cyclists and pedestrians.
Comments
hamish (not verified)
Same day, more inaction from PWIC ...
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:59Interestingly, the same day as this report came out, I was at PWIC trying to nudge them towards doing the right things for bike safety in this Yorkvile section, but status quo, and inertia prevailed.
TCAC had developed some gumption and ability to express interest in this problem up to PWIC, and so Bloor was again on their agenda, as it was about 4 years ago/maybe 3 when there was the motion from Giambrone about a "communication" about such a Bloor bike lane, and Committee chair deBaeremaeker had also made a motion to have greatly increased bike safety through here somewhere back around that time. Having the minimum metro-era wide curb lanes with surprise addition of the sporadic sharrows isn't a vast improvement, though it's better.
PWIC refused to hear of a tamer course of action that I suggested, - a motion to roll back the new curbs by .5M on either side to give us the room for bike lanes, so PWIC is definitely part of the problem and that means Councillors Carroll, deBaeremaeker, Perks and Giambrone, to name names.
PWIC also just referred the TCAC motions to the staff, which isn't really all that supportive eh?
When I showed a picture of a major water feature on Bloor at Bay, at least Chair Glenn got it as a cyclist that it's not good to try to bike through that, and I'll gtry to get his words shared.
However, the City is kinda breaking the EA law, they're getting away with it, and we're on the verge of seeing another Spadina-like situation where we're well into a greenhouse problem and the dumbos that have the votes to make the difference won't.
Maybe we need another fatality/ but some injury actually might be better, so that the survivor could maybe sue the City for contributory neglect.
Pardon the vituperative edge, but this segment of Bloor is really important in a broader network as the Viaduct feeds large volumes into it, and Wellesley is just inferior and harder to get to. Bloor is best.
At least it's being noted somewhat by the provincial ECO, but again, it's a little like noticing the horse is gone, though in this situation, the BS remains.
Oh, and Councillor Rae promised bike lanes, and staff said we could do bike lanes after it's done.
The Pedaller (not verified)
People Get Ready
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:59A study on the feasibility of Bloor Bike Lanes was commissioned by Toronto City Hall in 1992. The recommendations were clear - put in Bike Lanes on Bloor!
Since that time, our elected leaders have wither ignored cycling infrastructure, or used it to direct self serving political posturing.
The Bloor Street Transformation was the result of a well played shell game by Delevopers and City staff (i.e., Councillor Kyle Rae), and despite the lack of Public Consultation or an Environmental Assessment, we are left without Bike Lanes.
As of January 2010, the City will hire yet another consultant to make recommendations on the same proposed Bike Lanes, and with Municipal Elections taking place in the fall of 2010, you can bet your bike pump that the "do nothing" political machinery at City Hall will continue to dither about on this important project.
MAKE CYCLING AN ELECTION ISSUE IN 2010 AND PRESSURE YOUR COUNCOLLOR!
That way we will rid ourselves of Councillors like:
Doug Holyday
Kyle Rae
Mike Feldman
Case Ootes
Rob Ford
and Michael Walker
A.R. (not verified)
You forgot Denzil
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 14:13You forgot Denzil Minnan-Wong, who has used the stupid "war on cars" rhetoric.
Hmm (not verified)
What's wrong with Kyle Rae? I
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:35What's wrong with Kyle Rae? I think he deserves another chance.
hamish (not verified)
Mr. Kyle Rae's part of our problem methinks
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 19:09Mr. Kyle was around in 1992 when that first report came out - so like Dan Egan, he's known about it all, and he's had a lot of chance to absorb the many things that are required to act responsibly in the face of a climate carisis.
Mr. Rae promised Bloor bike lanes in the last civic election - and the road as is being built is one measly meter too narrow for bike lanes (as we define them with a white line) and two car lanes. Sure, we could all be flabbbergasted and have a push to squeeze Bloor down to one car lane through here, but it is Caronto after all, and I've never been that delusional, despite the subway.
So Kyle's been trying to get the "green" and "bike" vote by the Jarvis plan, though quite honestly my sense is despite the horrendous nature of Jarvis now, all that would really be needed is a wider curb lane and a repaving of the nearby/adjacent Sherbourne St., which is desperately needing new asphalt.
As Royson James has noted, it's desperately difficult to unseat an incumbent, and there's some need for a shiFt change - so hopefully people won't be so blindp as to wholeheartedly support progressives just because of a perceived reputation.
The ECO report did recommend that perhaps a structural change in the MCA occur - and maybe if it occurs, that would be some good news.
electric
...
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 23:31...
electric
Thank-you Gord Miller!
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 23:29So then.. maybe nobody else noticed but it seems sharrows is all we're going to get, something mentioned in the article.
Bloor St business owners can have their urban carterial road, almost none of that weekday traffic is going to be stopping at your stores. Once "word" travels about the new road improvements commuters will take to your precious street jamming it up and making it frustrating for your customers to navigate the area. You could of had on-street parking, bicycle lanes and lots of space remaining for pedestrian traffic, instead we're all left with an uncreative cross-town highway. Oh well, I wonder where all that traffic is going to? Guess we'll find out where the real planning is going on... maybe in one of the burbs where new ideas might have a chance to grow before recidivists like Mr. Walker and Mr. Rae stomp them out.
The Pedaller (not verified)
Sting Rae
Thu, 10/08/2009 - 09:59Rae was a super supporter of the Jarvis Bike Lanes, but that was because he got caught in some double speak on the Bloor Street Transformation. You can't be all things to all people - he sided with the BIA on Bloor and that wont bode well for him in the minds of voting cyclists.
The more you look into the BST the more it stinks.
It is time for a little revolution me thinks.
jamesmallon (not verified)
Toronto blows
Thu, 10/08/2009 - 14:31Because, what else can you say?
Ben
I'd say
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 11:39I'd say DFTT.
saywhat? (not verified)
saywhat?
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 12:22saywhat?
The Pedaller (not verified)
Blown Away
Thu, 10/08/2009 - 19:48Well I wouldn't go so far as saying "Toronto blows", but there are things that need to change before we see real changes in cycling infrastructure in Toronto.
The strategy used to date has been engaging City Council by calling them out on their failures and overall neglect of cycling related issues, in short it is NOT effective.
If you want to make a difference, then join the bike union and get organized in your own community. Broad public demand gets the political gears moving a hell of a lot faster than trying to make politicians feel guilty - that much is obvious.
The electoral process can blow away City Councillors that wont act in the interest of cycling; then you can really say "Toronto blows!"
jamesmallon (not verified)
cultural problem
Thu, 10/08/2009 - 20:11The entire southern-Ontario culture would need to change, which I am not waiting for. Good luck all. I am moving to one of the countries that has a cycling culture.
Seymore Bikes
Culture Club
Thu, 10/08/2009 - 22:53jm - The culture that really matters is in the one in your community.
Most City Councillors in Toronto are elected by a slim margin; Case Ootes won his Ward by less than 100 votes last Municipal Election, and he votes against bike motions in Council.
If you could generate 500 votes in favor of a candidate that would support cycling, you might get them elected - and that's what we need to do to make change happen for cycling in Toronto in 2010.
jamesmallon (not verified)
one councilor: so what?
Sat, 10/10/2009 - 09:29Yeah, so then we'd have one more, probably downtown, councilor on board. I think the changes need to be a bit more fundamental, no? You think the changes in NY were incremental? Hardly.
Go visit N. Europe, or NY to see a cycling culture. I haven't yet. I've lived in, and am returning to, Tokyo. The cycling infrastructure is no great hell, but the attitude of drivers is: I don't have enough years left to wait for either in this $#!tty town.
Seymore Bikes
One
Sun, 10/11/2009 - 15:02One Councillor = One Vote
The political mechanics are there to serve our needs; it's time to engage the process and demand more for cycling.
A.R. (not verified)
Histrionic
Sat, 10/10/2009 - 15:00Seeing plenty of cyclists on streets and bicycles parked everywhere urban Toronto along with cycling organizations, websites, and services doesn't constitute bike culture?
Seymore Bikes
Unplugged
Sun, 10/11/2009 - 15:26There IS a cycling culture in Toronto, but it needs to connect with the political process to serve its needs better.
hamish (not verified)
I'm not so convinced of the CU's efficacy yet
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 17:26While I've been participating in a couple of the local Ward groups, (and there was a desire a few years back to set up ward BUGs), I'm at times thinking of the CU more as a Cheerleader's Union, vs. a true advocate willing to speak strongly against some things. And the CU hasn't been totally "there" on Bloor, with some opportunities missed, going back to Dave doing the pitch to the TCAC, not mentioning Bloor, and then leaving the room while the TCAC folks tried to get a sub-committee on Bloor going but to no avail as Mr. Heaps wouldn't entertain it. To be fair to Dave, he was sick.
I remain less enthralled with Jarvis as Sherbourne is parallel and desperately needs paving, though for sure Jarvis is hellish now to bike on, and changes are needed.
With the ECO report, on p. 162, there's an amusing comment in the Ministry of Env response that "the EAA assesses the environmental impact of projects and is not intended to direct broad-based policies such as the promotion of cycling."
1) EAs don't really assess the environmental impact of projects because like the CIty, they don't measure the amount of concrete and materials used in a project, and do a lousy job of assessing options and
2) riding a bike is something that most of the bumph from our governments tell us to do to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that won Canada Fossil of the Year award - so what's an EA or provincial law like the places to Grow Act for anyways.
Seymore Bikes
The CU is U
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 21:16Don't measure the bke union by what is hasn't done, measure it by what you have done for cycling.
The bike union is only as strong as its members - good for you to get involved!
jamesmallon (not verified)
Respond with something tangible
Sat, 10/10/2009 - 10:15So, just what has it done? Respond with something tangible, or don't bother to respond at all.
Seymore Bikes
Great Expectations
Sun, 10/11/2009 - 15:59These things don't happen right away, the TCU was only formed a little more than a year ago.
Maybe you don't understand the concept of the bike union. The vast number of cyclists in Toronto provides the potential for great things to happen, the bike union provides a strategy to unite those voices.
If you care about advancing cycling inToronto, then YOU can make a difference, but I guess it's a lot easier to be a critic.
jamesmallon (not verified)
just believe
Sun, 10/11/2009 - 18:49As a lapsed-Catholic, I have no time for being told to have faith in an institution which cannot show tangible benefits in this lifetime, or political cycle.
lOCk
Gibson pointed out that the future is already here...
Thu, 10/08/2009 - 21:58...just not evenly distributed...
I went to that City Public Works Committee also...
(Hamish? You rock!)
After De Baeremaeker and Carroll finished patting themselves on the back for recent progress in painting lines (Now slightly faster than a snails pace! Yay!) I got to point out to them that compared to places like Germany and Copenhagen these are tiny Baby Steps. That Toronto is now where Copenhagen was decades ago...
Painted lines, versus separate bike lanes separated from roads AND sidewalks by curbs... pathetic.
Yup, any Danish girls reading this? Adopt me and take me away to Copenhagen! Please!
tks